Oh my. Talk about one of my all-time favorite books. Koala Lou would have to be one. I adore Mem Fox and this is, hands down, her best offering in my opinion (a close second would be Wombat Divine).
I use this book in several ways. First of all, my kiddos' favorite, is a Book Buddy. You know, a book with a matching stuffed animal. The kids can cuddle the stuffed animal and hang out with it when they read the book. Nothing fancy, but the kids adore them. I've been building my collection and when I found a stuffed koala, I knew instantly that it was my Koala Lou.
The other ways in which I use the story are for talking about family and Olympics (every 2 years that is), as those are themes of the story as well. The overriding theme is one of family and love, which is one of the main reasons I adore this book!
In case you're unfamiliar with this book, I will give you a brief synopsis. A little koala who is the beloved firstborn. However, after her brothers and sisters are born, over time she begins to feel as though she doesn't matter anymore :( She begins to work on ways to win her mother's love back. It has a wonderful ending and the message is one that any child should hear, regardless of their birth order.
Sounds great right? Right. As with all of Mem Fox's books, it takes place in Australia so the animals and some terminology is region specific. This makes it great is you're doing a unit or study on Australia as well. Maybe with older students?
So, Koala Lou? Mem Fox? What are your thoughts? Love them? Well, once again I highly suggest you check this book out, and her others, if you haven't done so already. You will not be sorry!
Thanks for hopping by!
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