Lou is a daring adventuress. She’s going to be something amazing some day. There’s nothing she can’t do! Well, that’s what she thought <i>before</i> her friends made the tree into their pirate ship. Lou doesn’t want to admit it – in fact she does everything she can to avoid admitting it - but there’s something this daring adventuress can’t do…yet.

I first met the amazing Ashley Spires’ writing and illustrating skills through Binky the Space Cat. I’ve been a huge fan ever since. I haven’t found an Ashley Spires book that doesn’t make me smile and entertain with both its text and illustrations. (And there are always cute cats, a great bonus.) Lou does not let down those high expectations – even on the cute cat front. She’s a fun character to follow around who entertains while she learns that it is ok to admit you can’t do everything or even that you’re a teensy bit afraid to try something new. I liked that once she does admit the truth, her friends are supportive and she doesn’t back down from this new challenge, though she does know when to take a break. A great story about tackling scary new things, and the illustrations are as fun as ever. Definitely will be recruiting Lou to join the other characters on the shelves in our elementary library.

(This review will be posted on GoodReads Apr 18, 2017.)

I loved the illustrations. The whimsy. And I am a huge fan of this author and the publisher, as well.

However, I was not prepared for the ending. I felt as if I were left hanging. Perhaps that is a realistic way to tell the story and it certainly opens up room for discussion. But the starkness of the reality, or to put it another way, the lack of closure, felt off balance with the imaginative aspects of the story. It just seemed to veer off in an awkward direction near the end. And I stumbled as a reader.

4.2 "reality check" stars!

I really enjoyed this book! The excuses not to climb the tree were cute imaginative and hilarious. I also liked the problem solving, testing different solutions to a problem. :)

I'm all for "pursuit your dream" "shoot for the stars" motivational stories but reality check stories have a lot of value too! I love that the take away is that there will be always things we can't do no matter how hard we try (I couldn't be a NBA start no matter how hard I tried because I'm a 5'1" woman!

AND THAT"S OK! We all have different paths to walk and lives to live and maybe there are other things as fulfilling as climbing trees!

Sill the story is encouraging because it says that Lou can't climb trees YET :)

This is a delightful book that is perfect for using along with Growth Mindset in the classroom. I just pre-ordered it for my library and will be making it a featured school-wide read aloud next year, as Growth Mindset will be my library theme. Will be shouting from the rooftops about this book!

Lou may love adventures, but the thought of climbing a tree is one challenge she has yet to take on. She may be a future race-car driver (or deep-sea diver or pirate), but she's never climbed a tree before and is reluctant about joining her friends as they excitedly maneuver up the tree's branches. Using excuse after excuse, Lou continues to put off the endeavor. Will she be able to overcome her apprehension and climb the tree?

Trying something new is never easy, especially when it's something that your friends can do so easily! Many readers will relate to the reluctance Lou feels about facing a challenge for this first time. Lou handles the situation in a way that many likely would: avoiding it for as long as possible! I particularly enjoyed how Lou imagines some very creative, entertaining, methods of joining her friends and how, when she does finally attempt climbing the tree, her first tries are less than successful. A great story that can be used to discuss courage and determination.

From its message about persistence to its diverse representations to the amazing group of girls having rough and tumble adventures, I love everything about this book!

Summary:
Lou is an adventurous little girl who LOVES playing pretend with her friends. Some of their imaginary adventures include race car driving, deep-sea diving, and wrangling wild animals. Lou is always up for a challenge. That is, until the day they decided to play pirates. Lou's friends agreed that they needed a pirate ship, but there was one problem - the ship was going to be up in a tree. Lou didn't know how to climb a tree! She tried to get out of joining her friends up in the tree with several hilarious excuses. When Lou finally decided to try to conquer her fears, she still wasn't able to climb the tree. That didn't bother Lou, though. She knew that she could try again another day!

Potential age group:
Grades kindergarten through third grade (ages 4-9).

Genre:
Fiction

Topic:
Facing your fears.
Empowering children to know that they can do anything.

Curricular uses:
'The Thing Lou Couldn't Do' is a great anchor text for teaching about adjectives, character traits, and descriptive writing. The author's use of select words written in all capitals lends itself to a lesson in how to read with feeling and expression. The beautiful illustrations can be used for a lesson in visualization while reading.

Interactions of text and images:
The illustrations in this book tell the story almost as well as the words do. They are colorful, detailed, and add to the text immensely. The images will help young readers to visualize what is happening in the story.

My take on this book:
I am impressed with this book! The story is one that all young children need to hear - that they can do anything, even if it takes time and practice. Lou didn't get mad or discouraged when she couldn't climb the tree. She knew that she could come back and try again another time. The humor laced throughout the book is the type that primary students would understand and love. The illustrations and vivid vocabulary add so much to this story. I will definitely be using this book in my second grade classroom to model reading with expression.

Ashley Spire has a way of writing stories that makes you have even more faith in kids that you did before reading them. The Thing Lou Couldn't Do is not exception. Lou loves to do so many things, but when she is faced with something she doesn't think she can do, she hesitates. Until she realizes that she can do whatever she puts her mind to!

The perfect book to share with kids about the many mixed feelings you experience when considering something new. Challenges can be daunting but Lou shows us that just trying is a great accomplishment to be proud of.

I loved Ashley Spires first book, The Most Magnificent Thing, and I love this one, too. This is perfect for anyone at any age who is afraid to try something new. It also has a great lesson about how not succeeding the first time is not failure, but a chance to try again. This is a must purchase for all elementary school libraries.

I can see this book being used in a school setting. Great idea/concept and diversity in the characters.

Finally another inspiring title from Ashley Spires! I loved the diversity of characters, the creativity of children's play and the overcoming of real fears. I appreciated that Lou had to keep working at her goal and it wasn't an instant achievement. It helps children learn the importance of failure. Thank you Ashley!

I am becoming a huge fan of Ashley Spires! I loved this book! Facing your fears can be a difficult thing and I loved Lou's imagination throughout the book. Will definitely be purchasing this for my elementary library. K-2 will enjoy it. Would make a great addition to the read aloud books.

Thanks to Netgalley for this book.

Love, love, love! Great companion book for those who also loved The Most Magnificent Thing. I know that my teachers and students will love this story as well. Such a great message, and love the illustrations.

Read this to my three year old daughter and she loved the pictures and storyline.

Ashley Spires does it again! A wonderful, relatable tale of friendship, being afraid to try something new, and the power of "yet". Perfect for teaching growth mindset in the classroom.

A fun story about courage. Although how she came to the bravery to try climbing wasn't very clear

Love this book! It is okay to be afraid or unsure of something. If you talk about it though you will find support from friends and family. This author has yet to disappoint me.

When her friends choose to climb a tree, Lou isn’t so sure. She is scared and uncertain. In addition, she is concerned that her friends will think differently of her because she’s not climbing the tree.

Even though she makes up some pretty fun excuses, her friends never mock or make fun of her. Lou decides on her own to join her friends by watching them have fun. She decides to try to climb the tree.

Lou decides to try, and that’s why she does. She fails at climbing the tree at first. But she still tries, and she doesn’t give up. For children (and adults) there is often an anxiety-inducing fear of trying new things.