Lola and the Troll
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- $10.99
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
A debut picture book by Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and New York Times bestselling author Connie Schultz, about a young girl named Lola who decides to be brave and stand up to a bully.
Lola is a happy kid who loves recess and her imaginary dog, Tank. There’s just one problem: the neighborhood bully. He hides behind a troll costume and says mean things to everyone who walks by, including Lola. Soon she starts wearing her hair differently, walking on her tippy toes to add a few extra inches to her height, and even putting cornstarch in her shoes because he said her feet stink! But when Lola’s mom takes her to her favorite place, The Bee’s Sneeze bookstore, the owner, Ms. Sneesby, reminds Lola that she LOVES her curly hair, her bright smile, and her big eyes. And most importantly, Ms. Sneesby reminds Lola that she is brave.
Lola and the Troll is about remembering how to be brave, even when it’s hard, and realizing that some-times all a bully really needs is a little kindness.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In a chapter book–scale story that's full of moral conviction, Schultz (The Daughters of Erietown, for adults) writes about a child learning how to stand up to a bully. Each morning, tan-skinned Lola and her classmates hurry past Tom the Troll, who stands costumed in a doorway holding handmade signs that bear pointed personal insults. Accused of having "too big" hair, a loud voice, and more, Lola tries to change, tying her curls in a bun "the size of one of Grandma's drop biscuits" and speaking in whispering tones. "Is this still... me?" she wonders. When Lola's favorite bookseller, Ms. Sneesby, sees the change in Lola and names the problem ("What a bully. He must be very afraid of you"), it gives Lola the courage to unmask Tom. With doll-like cuteness, Rodriguez draws Lola; her tiny, often-invisible dog Tank ("small on the outside means mighty on the inside"); and her peers, portrayed with various skin tones, in the end rendering Tom as more hapless than menacing. Though wobbly logic undercuts the telling, this double picture book debut offers up a sparky protagonist and an instructive model of confronting cruelty head-on. Ages 4–8.
