Lulu's Party

PreS—Lulu's rainy day tea party with her stuffed animal friends doesn't satisfy her party ambitions, so the owlet invites her friends Charlie (a bunny) and Oliver (a young elephant) to her tree house in the hopes of a more festive occasion. She busies herself preparing decorations and hot chocolate but fails to notice when a box of salt falls over into the open teapot containing the freshly prepared treat. When her friends arrive, Lulu excitedly serves the cocoa only to discover it tastes terrible. She and her friends try adding honey, cream, and more chocolate, but to her dismay, it is still undrinkable. Unfortunately, prereaders may be as clueless as Lulu when it comes to understanding the reason for the disappointing drink. The spread that contains the pivotal moment is wordless. Without assistance, Chase's intended audience might not understand the problem with the hot chocolate, either. Of course, all ends well when Oliver and Charlie whip up some chocolate milk shakes, the sun comes out, and a backyard circus ensues. The watercolor, pen-and-ink illustrations are the highlight in this second "Playtime with Friends" book. As in Oliver's Tree (Putnam, 2014), the characters are portrayed with such earnestness and innocence that young readers will likely enjoy an invitation to Lulu's party.