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Reviewed by:
  • Lottie Paris Lives Here
  • Deborah Stevenson
Johnson, Angela. Lottie Paris Lives Here; illus. by Scott M. Fischer. Simon, 2011. [32p]. ISBN 978-0-689-87377-5 $16.99 Reviewed from galleys Ad 4–7 yrs

Lottie Paris lives across from the park with her Papa Pete, and since Lottie is what you might call a live wire, she finds a lot of excitement in her daily life. She swaps shoes with Papa Pete, clumping around in his boots; she plays pretend in her room (“Lottie’s room is also a castle, where the fish are her guards and the quilt is her robe”); and she delights in the ways of the park (“Noodles from food carts are good cold”). There is also, of course, some misbehavior, which puts Lottie for a time out in the quiet chair more than once, but generally happiness reigns in the little house across from the park. There’s a dearth of plot event here, with Lottie a character [End Page 23] clearly in search of adventure that the book never delivers. As a character study, however, it’s a lively one, with Johnson’s engaging storyteller’s voice and touches of direct address (“Do you like Lottie’s hat? Uh-huh, me too”) providing energy. Fischer puts gouache to paper with just about any tool he can find, with the resulting spreads in verdant colors gaining structure from strong self-colored lines, while patterns add fresco-like textures and punchy accents. Sharp edges on the figures suggest collage layering, and there’s an appealingly cartoonish simplicity to the draftsmanship on the faces; Lottie herself is absolutely the bouncy little girl, her warm brown skin tones standing out against the sweet green backgrounds, that the text suggests. The cozy tone and gentle specifics recommend this for family reading, and it could engender discussions about the characteristics of youngsters’ own neighborhoods and daily doings.

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