Lou: A Children's Picture Book About a Fire Hydrant and Unlikely Neighborhood Hero

by Breanna Carzoo, Breanna Carzoo (Illustrator)

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

Breanna Carzoo's author-illustrator debut, Lou, gets right down to business. As a fire hydrant, Lou thinks he has a less than desirable role in society. Lou gets a lot of visitors but even though they don't stay for long, they usually leave a lasting impression. But what happens when a fire breaks out and the neighborhood is in need of help? Lou finds out he's more than what's been left on his surface. Carzoo's fresh approach to discussing self-esteem, acceptance and resourcefulness makes for an engaging and fun read that'll help caregivers discuss some heavy-duty life lessons. Perfect for fans of The Good Egg and The Bad Seed.

Don’t miss this humorous and heartwarming picture book by debut creator Breanna Carzoo about an unlikely everyday hero: a fire hydrant! Perfect for fans of The Good Egg and The Bad Seed.

Meet Lou. Lou has an important job . . . as the neighborhood toilet for dogs on their walks.

Useful as he may be, he gets the feeling that deep down inside, there might be more to him than that. He just doesn’t seem to know exactly what yet. When disaster strikes, will Lou find out what he’s made of and save the day?

From debut creator Breanna Carzoo comes a charming and funny story that reminds us to never let anyone—including yourself—hold you back from sharing your gifts with the world.

Kids will fall in love with Lou and his journey of self-discovery as he saves the day from a fire that breaks out in an apartment building nearby. You’ll never be able to look at a fire hydrant the same way again!

• A BARNES & NOBLE CHILDREN'S BOOK AWARDS SHORTLIST PICK!
• A KIRKUS BEST PICTURE BOOK OF 2022!
• A 2024 COLORADO CHILDREN'S BOOK AWARD NOMINEE!
• A 2023 GRAND CANYON READER AWARD NOMINEE!
• THE NORTH CENTRAL MICHIGAN COLLEGE CHILDREN'S BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023!
• A MISSOURI BUILDING BLOCK PICTURE BOOK AWARD NOMINEE!
• CHOSEN FOR THE 2022 SOCIETY OF ILLUSTRATORS ORIGINAL ART SHOW! 
• A 2024 DONNA NORVELL OKLAHOMA BOOK AWARD NOMINEE!
• A BLUE CRAB YOUNG READER AWARD HONOR BOOK!
• A 2024-2025 LOUISIANA YOUNG READERS AWARD NOMINEE!
• AN OKLAHOMA REDBUD READ-ALOUD AWARD NOMINEE!
• A 2023 MICHIGAN LIBRARIAN ASSOCIATION TOP ELEVEN MITTEN AWARD FINALIST!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780063054059
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	07/12/2022
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	99,036
Product dimensions:	9.10(w) x 11.20(h) x 0.20(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Breanna Carzoo is the author-illustrator of the picture books Lou, Greenlight, and The Squish. She crafts illustrations with painted cut-paper collage and mixed media. Her debut picture book, Lou, was shortlisted for the 2023 Barnes and Noble Children’s and YA Book Awards and named on many state award lists, and both Lou and Greenlight were named Kirkus Reviews Best Picture Books of 2022 and 2023. She lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband and dog. Visit her at breannacarzoo.com.

Breanna Carzoo is the author-illustrator of the picture books Lou, Greenlight, and The Squish. She crafts illustrations with painted cut-paper collage and mixed media. Her debut picture book, Lou, was shortlisted for the 2023 Barnes and Noble Children’s and YA Book Awards and named on many state award lists, and both Lou and Greenlight were named Kirkus Reviews Best Picture Books of 2022 and 2023. She lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband and dog. Visit her at breannacarzoo.com.

Editorial Reviews

★ 05/02/2022

“My name is Lou, and I’m... a toilet,” announces the red, goggle-eyed fire hydrant protagonist of this debut work. Cut-paper art shows a long queue of pooches, their owners portrayed with various abilities and skin tones, eying Lou. (One orange and white dog stands on crossed hind legs and holds its crotch in a pose that should be instantly familiar to any kid who’s ever had the gotta-go wriggles.) “All day, every day,” Lou says, these dogs “SNIFF and TWIST and TWIRL and LIFT,” resulting in “well, you know”—a spread devoted entirely to a bright yellow pee stream shows it crossing the book’s gutter and hitting the ground with an impressive visual splash. Understandably, Lou hopes that finding a use in life will mean something more, a wish that’s granted when a fire breaks out in a nearby building. A firefighter, led by a keen-nosed dalmatian, hooks up a hose to Lou and sends forth a torrent of water to save the building: “WHOA! WHOOSH! WOO HOO!” Carzoo uses direct, heartfelt prose and toylike images to infuse a quotidian object with winning personality and genuine poignancy—it won’t be a stretch for readers to identify with this small, put-upon character who discovers a bigger sense of purpose. Ages 4–8. Agent: Adria Goetz, Martin Literary. (June)

Publishers Weekly

Carzoo uses direct, heartfelt prose and toylike images to infuse a quotidian object with winning personality and genuine poignancy—it won’t be a stretch for readers to identify with this small, put-upon character who discovers a bigger sense of purpose. — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

A truly exceptional read. Children, librarians, educators, and caregivers will love returning to this book over and over. Gee whiz, this book is No. 1! — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Carzoo’s hilarious debut marries a clever conceit with irresistible character design (an object with big eyes and little mouth) to charm readers and impart a nice story of self-discovery. Sharp cut-paper collage brings Lou’s street to life, with a variety of pups in amusing poses and bright colors set off by white backdrops. Great fun, sure to make a splash at story time. — Booklist

Beyond the obvious and sweet message that everyone contains more potential for greatness than meets the eye, viewers may think twice about life-saving infrastructure that blends into the sidelines when out on a walk with their pups.  — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

From the Publisher

★ 2022-06-22
How you are treated does not define you.

Lou, a fire hydrant located across the street from a doggy day care in a diverse neighborhood, feels like their life is limited to one thing: being a place for dogs to relieve themselves. Lou knows they’re serving a valuable (albeit wet) purpose but longs for more: “Deep down inside, I feel like there’s more in me than what they can see. Like I’m full of greatness! I just don’t know what it is or how to let it out.” When a cat living in the apartment above the doggy day care sets off a chain of events that leads to a small kitchen fire, Lou finally understands what their ultimate purpose in life is: helping others. It’s hard to identify that one element that turns a great book into a truly exceptional read, but whatever it is, this has it. Is it the spare text that slowly sets up some delightfully witty lines? Is it the bold artwork that emphasizes Lou’s expressive googly eyes and silly little mouth? Is it a few well-placed potty jokes? Whatever it may be, children, librarians, educators, and caregivers will love returning to this book over and over. Librarians and educators will find this in frequent rotation in storytimes; they’ll also love the message and the hat tip to the importance of municipal plumbing. Double win! (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Gee whiz, this book is No. 1! (Picture book. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews