When you’re young, play is everything. It’s so important that you’ll even “forget” to follow the rules in order to make your game the best that it can be. And that can get you into trouble. In That’s Coola, Tallulah!, young Stella Bella learns this lesson the hard way when her favorite doll, Tallulah’s, playtime suggestions cause her to act first and question later. Below is my review of That’s Coola, Tallulah, written by Rugrats voice actor, Cheryl Chase and illustrated by Giulia Iacopini.
That’s Coola, Tallulah! book summary
Stella Bella is a little girl. Tallulah is her favorite doll and best friend. One rainy day, Tallulah and Stella Bella are stuck indoors. Tallulah thinks up various games to play. They paint their faces like fairy princesses, color on the walls, and have a tea party with real cookies from the cookie jar that sits up high on a shelf.
When they are caught, Stella Bella’s mom separates Stella Bella and Tallulah for a while. During their “break,” the other toys explain to Tallulah that she got Stella Bella in trouble with her bad ideas. As a result, Tallulah and Stella Bella learn a valuable lesson which inspires their future playtimes.
The story
That’s Coola, Tallulah! is an identifiable story for any kid who has unintentionally gotten themselves into mischief with a friend. It’s even more identifiable if they’ve blamed a toy or an imaginary friend with breaking the rules. It helps the reader to understand that thinking before you act can save you from getting into trouble. You have to take the time to make sure that what you’re doing is within the accepted rules that you have been taught.
It can be tempting to climb up on the counter to get some cookies or make pretty pictures on the blank wall. But it’s also destructive and can even be dangerous. It can also cause your game to end sooner than you wanted, and it can even lead to punishment.
The characters
Despite being a doll, Tallulah is the main character of the story. She’s the one who comes up with the ideas, and she is the one who learns her lesson once she and Stella Bella are separated by Stella Bella’s mom.
They are a creative and curious pair who can find plenty to do to entertain themselves on a busy day. Their punishment is not to discourage them from playing but to play within certain boundaries and be trusted to play without supervision as long as they can stay within those boundaries.
Stella Bella’s mom is not the villain of the story. When Stella Bella is caught, her mom is understanding. However, she still gives the best friends “a break.”
We don’t know about any further conversation that Stella Bella has with her mom. Instead, Tallulah gets a lecture from the other toys on the shelf. They serve as the moral compass of the story who call Tallulah out on the things she did wrong and help her learn to avoid getting into trouble in the future.
The illustrations and book design
The illustrations in That’s Coola, Tallulah are very girlie and colorful. They match the creativity and colorfulness of Stella Bella and Tallulah’s personalities. Stella Bella and Tallulah are given the same color palette with their purple and teal skirts, big eyes, and brightly colored hair.
This pastel world is so inviting and playful that it inspires their activities and imaginations. Stella Bella’s mom’s vanity is full of colorful makeup that they can’t resist trying out. And the bright art supplies are no match for her blank, green walls.
Each page has a yellowish tone allowing the large, black font of the text to pop on the page. The beginning of the story starts out with a short sentence or two and then grows longer as the story goes on. There is a lot of dialogue between Stella Bella and Tallulah. This dialogue brings out their personalities and helps to show that they are unintentional in their mischief and merely enthusiastic about their play.
My recommendation
I recommend That’s Coola, Tallulah! to young girls who have great ideas but sometimes need to be reminded about their limitations when it comes to carrying out those ideas. It will also bring back memories for anyone who has ever had a favorite toy. The book is also a great buy for parents who are looking for fun picture books with a gentle moral or message. The story does not take the fun out of playing. But it does help readers to learn how to stay out of trouble when they get so involved in their games that they forget to follow the rules.
Buy it!
Buy a copy of That’s Coola, Tallulah! here, and help support local bookstores! This is an affiliate link, and I will earn a commission on any sales.
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