Louis by Tom Lichtenheld (review)

Louis the teddy bear has had it with being a kid’s toy: slid down the stairs, used as a hankie, sprayed with milk, forgotten (but retrieved) on buses, Louis is done with it all and ready to make a break for it. Every time the worn and patched stuffie is about to leave, though, there’s a reason to stay: it’s raining, little sister wants a guest for her tea party, show-and-tell can’t be missed, and, in the end, maybe kiddo isn’t so bad after all. Louis’ narrative tone has an amusingly dry, weary tone, but the story loses its punch, turning from an irreverent rebuttal of The Velveteen Rabbit to saccharine feel-good tale. The art does a lot of the comedic work here, with simple slashes of Louis’ eyebrows and dotted eyes communicating a world of emotion, and the toy’s positioning is particularly funny, always poised slightly off-center, looking very much like he might make a run for it at any time. This would make an easy pair with Arnaldo’s Time for Bed’s Story (BCCB 9/20) as a cheeky reminder to kids to show a little care to what they might be taking for granted.