By Kate DiCamillo (author) , Jaime Kim (illustrator)
Paperback Not Available
View All Editions (1)
A nearly wordless story following a little girl in search of someone who understands.. . "La la la..." A little girl stands alone and sings, but hears no response. Gathering her courage and her curiosity, she skips further out into the world, singing away to the trees and the pond and the reeds - but no song comes back to her. Day passes into night, and the girl dares to venture into the darkness towards the light of the moon, climbing as high as she can... Now, will she be heard?
With an enchanting palette and captivating expressiveness, Jaime Kim brings to life Kate DiCamillo's endearing character in a transcendent landscape that invites readers along on an emotionally satisfying journey.
"Kim has created sumptuous images. DiCamillo's text leaves room for children to fill in the silences with their own boundless imaginations" New York Times
Kate DiCamillo’s writing journey has been a truly remarkable one. She grew up in Florida and moved to Minnesota in her twenties, when homesickness and a bitter winter led her to write Because of WinnDixie – her first published novel, which became a runaway bestseller and snapped up a Newbery Honor. The Tiger Rising , her second novel, was also set in Florida and went on to become a National Book Award finalist. Since then, the bestselling author has explored settings as varied as a medieval castle and a magician’s theatre while continuing to enjoy great success, winning two Newbery Medals and being named National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. She now has almost 30 million books in print worldwide.
In 2016, Kate DiCamillo published her most autobiographical novel to date, Raymie Nightingale , which was a National Book Award finalist. And then, for the first time ever, she returned to the world of a previous novel in Louisiana’s Way Home to tell us more about a character that her fans already knew and loved. That novel garnered seven starred reviews and was, like its predecessor, a #1 New York Times bestseller. And now Kate DiCamillo returns once more to complete the Three Rancheros’ stories by writing a book about toughas-nails Beverly Tapinski.
Kate DiCamillo’s books’ themes of hope and belief amid impossible circumstances and their messages of shared humanity and connectedness have resonated with readers of all ages around the world. In her instant #1 New York Times bestseller The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane , a haughty china rabbit undergoes a profound transformation after finding himself facedown on the ocean floor – lost and waiting to be found. The Tale of Despereaux – the Newbery Medal–winning novel that later inspired an animated adventure from Universal Pictures – stars a tiny mouse with exceptionally large ears who is driven by love to become an unlikely hero. The Magician’s Elephant , an acclaimed and exquisitely paced fable, dares to ask the question What if ? And Kate DiCamillo’s second Newbery Medal winner, Flora & Ulysses , was released in 2013 to great acclaim, garnering five starred reviews and an instant spot on the New York Times bestseller list.
Born in Philadelphia but raised in the South, Kate DiCamillo now lives in Minneapolis.
A Q&A with Kate Di Camillo:
You made the decision to write Louisiana’s story after her relentless voice consumed your notebooks. What made you want to write a novel about Beverly? Was there a voice, quote, or image that came to you that set her story in motion?
Well, it’s odd. Beverly’s voice was relentless, too, but in a much less dramatic way than Louisiana’s. Telling Beverly’s story was like crouching in the woods with my hand out, hoping that a wild animal would come and eat out of my hand. I could feel her presence; I knew she wanted to speak. But I had to hold very, very still. And wait. The story started with the simple, declarative sentence “Buddy died.” And everything, all of it, unspooled from that.
Once again you have created a novel that deals very pointedly with parental abandonment, and Beverly’s situation is possibly the most dire in all of your books. Is that theme still difficult to explore, or do you find you have more courage now than ever to tackle these kinds of raw and difficult truths?
These “difficult truths” show up in my stories no matter what I do. I have, in recent years, I suppose, turned and faced them more head-on, more directly. I am haunted by parental abandonment, and so it keeps showing up in my stories.
If Raymie Nightingale was the true story of your heart and Louisiana’s Way Home was a return to storytelling in the style of Because of Winn-Dixie, what is the personal impetus or connection for you to Beverly, Right Here?
Beverly is so much braver than I am. I wanted to leave and I couldn’t. Beverly does. Every time Beverly showed up in Raymie’s story, I was impressed by her ferocity, her tenderness, her utter lack of regard for the rules. She was the kind of kid I wanted to be. She is the kind of young adult I wanted to be.
20 Best Wordless Picture Books
the best books for 7-9 year olds
The Beautiful Layers of Me
Patricia McCormick and 1 more
Cerys Matthews' Under Milk Wood An Illustrated Retelling
Dylan Thomas and 1 more
A nearly wordless story following a little girl in search of someone who understands..."La la la..." A little girl stands alone and sings, but hears no response. Gathering her courage and her curiosity, she skips further out into the world, singing away to the trees and the pond and the reeds - but no song comes back to her.
The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed La La La and determined it is suitable for children aged 5-8 years old
La La La features in the following genres: Featured Books for 5+ readers, Featured Books for 7+ readers, Stories about Family and Friends, Picture storybooks, Recommendations, Children's and Young Adult Fiction, Children’s, Teenage and Educational, Children’s picture books, Children’s: picture books, activity books, early learning concepts
Paperback. £7.19, down from the £7.99 cover price. Not Available.
La La La was written by Kate DiCamillo and published by Walker Books Ltd an imprint of Walker Books
La La La has 72 pages
£7.19, reduced from £7.99. Not Available.
©PTC International Ltd T/A LoveReading is registered in England. Company number: 10193437. VAT number: 270 4538 09. Registered address: 157 Shooters Hill, London, SE18 3HP. Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy | Disclaimer
The National Year of Reading starts here. Join thousands of families and schools supporting reading for pleasure across the UK.