ALA Booklist (Tue Jun 01 00:00:00 CDT 2010)

This lullaby, filled with warm bedtime scenes, will appeal to young preschoolers for the surprising sounds as well as the sleepy comfort it offers. In the mischievous story, written in sweet rhymes, Lulu the pig snuggles into bed in her room, "cozy and quiet / just the way she liked it," but she is awakened by a sound of someone crying, "Cooooo." She asks Pigeon, "Who said coo? / Was it you?" But Pigeon does not answer. Lulu heads back to bed, but just when everything is cozy and quiet once again, "somebody somewhere" says "Moooooo." The pictures show Lulu fuming as she chases away two noisy birds that are causing the ruckus. At last she can sleep, until she hears "Boo-hoo," and she races outside to apologize: she should have said "shhhh" not "shoo." Together, the animals all snuggle in Lulu's bed together until somebody yells, "Cock-a doodle doo!" Even when kids know what is coming, they will love going back to the contrasting scenes of comic anger and snuggling bliss.

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Twin sisters and first-time collaborators Ruddell (A Whiff of Pine, a Hint of Skunk: A Forest of Poems) and Luebs (Please Pick Me Up, Mama!) present a bedtime story with an understated sense of humor and rhymes that encourage chiming in. Unbeknownst to Lulu the pig, Pigeon and Owl have shown up on her doorstep at bedtime, when things are %E2%80%9Ccozy and quiet, just the way she liked it.%E2%80%9D Lulu%E2%80%99s slumber is interrupted by a loud %E2%80%9CCooooo%E2%80%9D and then a %E2%80%9CWhooooo.%E2%80%9D Lulu confronts the likely culprits, but Pigeon and Owl refuse to fess up. Again roused%E2%80%94this time by a %E2%80%9CMooooo%E2%80%9D%E2%80%94Lulu orders them away, but after their cries of %E2%80%9Cboo-hoo%E2%80%9D again awaken her, Lulu invites them inside for cocoa and a sleepover. Luebs%E2%80%99s acrylic paintings feature a luminescent pastel palette, which makes the story%E2%80%99s nighttime scenes glow. A few deft strokes convey Lulu%E2%80%99s contentedness, exasperation, and anger, though the birds%E2%80%99 mischievousness is much more subtle%E2%80%94there%E2%80%99s a hint of it in their eyes, but little else suggests they are %E2%80%9Ctwo bad birds,%E2%80%9D as Lulu puts it. Ages 3%E2%80%937. (June)

School Library Journal (Sun Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2010)

PreS-Gr 1 Each time Lulu the pig settles sleepily into her bed, she is awakened by Pigeon and Owl, two mischievous friends who coo, hoot, and moo at her door. When she finally angrily shoos the pranksters away, their loud laments bring her out to apologize and invite them back to sleep with her. When the rooster rouses them, Lulu politely asks him to return in a few hours to crow them awake and they settle down to sleep (including a tiny surprise guest). Using a framing phrase to bridge the action ("Everything was cozy and quiet, just the way she liked it, until somebody somewhere said&30;"), this rhythmic romp incorporates fresh rhymes and repetition to detail Lulu's travails. The full-color acrylic illustrations are set against blue and white backgrounds and feature chunky rounded characters in warm colors. Although there is a confusing moment when the avian friends break character and start mooing, the gentle message that one can achieve desired results through means other than anger will find an appreciative audience. Marge Loch-Wouters, La Crosse Public Library, WI