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Caillou: Hurry Up!

by Joceline Sanschagrin, Claude Lapierre, illus.

Caillou: New Shoes

by Marion Johnson, Eric Sevigny, illus.

Those who are wary of preschool books with a TV connection will be pleasantly surprised by Caillou. Published in Quebec, the Caillou books feature a bald little boy. With input from child psychologists and produced by various authors and illustrators, the series includes more than 50 board, picture, and activity books in nine separate age-related collections. The series follows Caillou’s physical and emotional growth to the age of four. Resisting didacticism and told from Caillou’s perspective, the stories deal with everyday challenges and situations that young children encounter.

Hurry Up!, from the North Star collection, is about the hectic morning that ensues when Caillou’s parents wake late and rush to get ready. Caillou’s doddling causes his parents to become angry, which brings on tears until all is resolved. Like all the Caillou books, Hurry Up! is very family-centred. Using simple dialogue, the story focuses on parent-child interaction to present a realistic moment in one family’s life. Caillou is an endearing character who experiences his world intensely whether he’s playful, confused, or upset. Caillou’s parents, usually models of tolerance and nurturing, appear here as fallible.

New Shoes is from the Playtime collection, which are titles adapted from the PBS Caillou TV show. The Playtime titles, which work as stand-alone stories, also have interactive features. When Caillou’s mom discovers his shoes are too small, they head off to buy new ones. Caillou topples the store display, is overwhelmed by choice, and then proudly races around outside in his new runners. By building a story around this small but significant event in Caillou’s life, respect is given to his experiences. The bright and simple illustrations reflect the immediacy of Caillou’s world and are accessible but not distracting. A detachable height chart accompanies the book so children can document their own growth.

Carefully developed, the Caillou books are effective parenting tools without the banality and preachiness of many preschool series. Because the characters are human, they can reflect physical changes and social diversity: for example, Caillou’s mom (unlike Franklin’s) can show her pregnancy, Caillou can be shown growing older, and societal diversity can be depicted. Despite their innate predictability as series titles, these books deserve attention, but are best balanced with more complex works.

 

Reviewer: Kelly Holmes

Publisher: Chouette Publishing

DETAILS

Price: $5.95

Page Count: 24 pp

Format: Paper

ISBN: 2-89450-295-8

Released: Aug.

Issue Date: 2002-11

Categories: Picture Books

Age Range: ages 3-5

Reviewer: Kelly Holmes

Publisher: Chouette Publishing

DETAILS

Price: $19.95

Page Count: 28 pp

Format: Cloth

ISBN: 2-89450-327-X

Released: Sept.

Issue Date: November 1, 2002

Categories: Picture Books

Age Range: ages 3-5