Whoops! But It Wasn't Me: It Was the Elephant Or Maybe My Invisible Friend Soren

This past week saw the release of some new Charlie and Lola books. For those of you who do not about this dynamic duo, Charlie and Lola are a pair of British siblings. Charlie is seven and Lola is four. They are the stars of several books by Lauren Child, and they have a television show on the Disney Channel.

While some the Charlie and Lola books appeared before the television show, many of the books are based on episodes of the show. Normally, I am not a fan of “television books”- I’d rather share books that are more creative/original than a rehash of a Spongebob episode. It’s just a personal preference. But anyway, I find Charlie and Lola so fun and engaging that I cannot help but enjoy the books even if they are based on a television episode.

Charlie and Lola are not a typical pair of siblings. Even though Charlie is a little bossy, and Lola is a little pesky, they rarely fight. Instead, they focus on using their imaginations. There is a lot of creativity produced between the two of them.

In Whoops, but it wasn’t me!, Charlie has worked very hard to produce a rocket ship made out of recycled materials like yogurt pots- gotta love those Briticisms. Charlie asks Lola not to touch his rocket ship. Charlie leaves the house, and Lola is left alone in the room that she shares with her brother. She begins to play with her animal figurines and her invisible friend, Soren Lorenson. Soren asks about the rocket, and Lola reaches up to get it from the shelf. Naturally, the rocket falls down and breaks!

When Charlie gets home and sees his broken rocket, he asks Lola about it. First, she tells him that she didn’t break it and then she tells him a fabricated (but creative) story about what happened to the rocket. When Charlie remains skeptical and threatens to tell his mother, Lola says that Soren is sorry for breaking the rocket. Finally, she admits that she was the one who broke the rocket. Charlie tells her that it is okay, and that he is happy she told the truth. Lola is happy to see that the rocket has been fixed. The story ends on a light note as Lola reaches out to touch the rocket, and Charlie reminds her not to touch it.

The illustrations are wonderful. Lauren Child has this really unique collage style that makes the book even more engaging and appealing. As Charlie describes the materials he used, we see pictures of everything- the three cereal boxes, ten yogurt pots, 28 bottle caps, etc. Lola’s invisible friend has been rendered in grayscale, making him look…invisible. There is also a lot of emphasis on the characters’ emotions. When Charlie arrives home after the rocket has been broken, Lola can be seen clutching her stomach. Lola looks very sad as she confesses to breaking the rocket, and she is thrilled when Charlie hugs her and tells her that it is okay.

Many of the Charlie and Lola books deal with creative solutions to problems. There really isn’t a creative problem to cope with the issue at hand. Also, Charlie is often there to help Lola with her problems, but in this book, she is on her own. Lola must summon the courage to tell the truth. As is the case with many children her age, Lola tries several times to shift the responsibility away from herself. She tells a story that is silly, but not true. She tries to blame Soren for the accident. And finally, she realizes that she needs to tell the truth.

Charlie handles the whole situation very well. While he is clearly upset about the rocket being broken, he does not lash out at Lola with angry words. And he does not get bossy with her and insist that she has to tell the truth; that is a conclusion that Lola must come to on her own.

I highly recommend Whoops! But it wasn’t me for children 4-8. Charlie and Lola are highly likeable and they are easy to relate to. Who hasn’t broken something that belonged to a sibling? The message that telling the truth is important is something that every child should know. Charlie and Lola help convey this message with a unique flair and a touch of whimsy.