Lulus

Is there any way the author/illustrator combination of Judith Viorst (Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day) and Lane Smith (The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales) could be anything but terrific?

In Lulu and the Brontosaurus, Lulu doesn't see why having a brontosaurus for the pet would be impractical. She WANTS A BRONTOSAURUS.  And Lulu always gets what she wants. When her parents won't give in to her birthday demand, hilarity ensues when Lulu sets out to find her brontosaurus.

In Lulu Walks the Dogs, Lulu has gotten a job walking her neighbors' dogs. It seems like easy money; just put Pookie, Brutus and Cordelia on a leash and go, right? Or will she have to get help from her neighborhood nemesis, Fleischman? Both the illustrations and design of these titles are visually pleasing. The books are an unusually tall, vertical shape with a monochromatic color palette that makes them stand out on the library shelf.

Both books invite the reader to participate in what happens in the story. After reading them, I Googled the term metafiction, and learned more about this type of writing style. In metafiction, books become self-referential, and typically readers interact with the story. Other writers refer to it as "breaking the fourth wall." Younger kids love metafiction read-alouds such as Press Here by Herve Tullet, or The Day The Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt. Metafiction chapter books would include titles such as A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz, and This Book is Not Good For You by Pseudonymous Bosch.