Customer Reviews

Louise the Big Cheese: Divine Diva (Paula Wiseman Books)

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Louise Cheese wants to be a "Divine Diva," which happens to be the name of one of her big sister's shades of lipstick. She tries out for the school play, and is sure she's going to get the role of Cinderella and be visited by Broadway talent scouts in the audience. Her best friend also tries out, and Louise figures she'll get a little role, like maybe a mouse.

Instead, Louise is cast as a mouse and her friend gets the lead role. Hmph! Friendship over... at least for a little while.

Her parents tell her they're glad she isn't headed off to Broadway yet because they'd miss her too much. Of course, I expected the ending to be that the friendship is mended and Louise is happy with her little role, but the author managed to pull in an unexpected, cute way to accomplish that-- Cinderella forgets her last line, and Louise comes to the rescue by whispering it to her.

This book has personality and spark. It's similar to the Fancy Nancy series both in look and tone, and will capture the same kind of audience of little divas. I recommend it for the little girl in your life who "dreams big."

Every child probably has dreams, ambitions. A little boy may dream of becoming a football player or a fireman. A little girl may aspire to be a nurse or a model. Louise Cheese was not specific regarding her ambition - she simply wanted to be a big cheese. "Louise liked the limelight, she liked a lot of fuss...."

This was a bit unusual as her parents were quiet, unassuming people. Penelope, her older sister, seemed to be quite content with her status quo ( Louise, of course, coveted Penelope's frilly bedroom and collection of lipsticks). The name of one of the lipsticks was Divine Diva, and Penelope told her that a Divine Diva was a big star. That's exactly what Louise wanted to be; she could see herself walking down a red carpet to accept her award. She told her best friend, Fern, about her plan, saying "Dream Big! That's my motto!)

The perfect start for Louise would be to play the lead in the school play, Cinderella, and be discovered by a Broadway producer. She was so sure she was going to be chosen to play Cinderella that she told her parents she would probably be going to Broadway soon. However, first the tryouts.

The outcome of those tryouts was a bit of a shock to Louise - even more so was the person chosen. When dreams are dashed friendships can be sorely tested but just as in Cinderella there is a happy ending.

Charming illustrations by one of my favorite artists, Diane Goode, are wonderfully expressive. Don't miss the endpapers filled with Big and Little Cheeses throughout history.

Enjoy!

- Gail Cooke

Tiny Louise dreams BIG, she wants to be a BIG cheese. With energy and confidence Louise sets forth to make her dreams come true. Dream BIG she says. She is sure she is on her way to fame, fortune and ultimately Broadway when she tries out for the role of Cinderella in the school play. But her spirits plummet when she finds she is cast as a mouse, in a particularly itchy, gray costume, and will not be the star of the show. Instead, her friend, Fern, is going to plays the glittery Cinderella. Louise is not a happy mouse! But when the performance comes and Fern finds herself unable to speak, it is tiny Louise who comes to the rescue. Louise finds that helping her friend makes her a much bigger cheese than going down the road to stardom alone.

Overcoming disappointment is a lesson all children face at some point. Having Louise as their spunky guide through life's ups and downs makes growing up that much more fun.

Elise Primavera has an intuitive sense for what children feel and how they think. Her characters are honest and human and fun to be with. Diane Goode's fresh, colorful, and lively illustrations capture Louise's spirit to a T.

Bravo Elise! Bravo Diane! Bravo Louise the Big Cheese!!

Can't wait to see where Louise's next adventure leads us...

Who can resist a pink cover with silver glitter -- not MY girls! Which only goes to show that sometimes you CAN judge a book by it's cover.

Louise Cheese is a character who is right in step with the times -- she wants to be a big star, but her hopes are dashed when her best friend Fern gets the lead in the school play. Louise stops speaking to Fern until the end when she realizes that being friends with Fern is more important than being a big cheese.

Now that's entertainment! The writing is funny, and warm hearted which reminds me of stories such as "Frog and Toad" and "Brave Irene". The expressive illustrations leap off the page, with a cool quiz at the end. There are also great end papers about "Big and Little Cheeses Throughout History", and speech bubbles sprinkled about that add to the text in a way I have never seen before in a picture book.

Finally, Louise the Big Cheese is a story that speaks to our celebrity driven culture because Louise finds out that while being a big cheese might be fun, it's not always what makes her happy.

I bought this book as a gift for my niece who dreams of Broadway and is her own little starlight. She enjoyed it so much I have since gifted it to several friends' children. A delightful read and one to be enjoyed by all. The author delivered a divine tale and the illustrations are perfectly matched and done beautifully.

It's great to see teamwork and being a good sport encouraged in a book that young girls will really get. And even boys will get the point. Love the story, love the art. Highly recommended

This book was given to my daughter as a present. Wasn't sure what to think- we read it together and BOTH loved it....the illustrations are wonderful...I would tell anyone with a Diva daughter to get this one-

This is a super cute story about a little girl who aspires to be the star of the school play - Louise thinks that if she gets to star as Cinderella, then she will become a big-time Broadway Diva. When her best friend, Fern, is cast as Cinderella and Louise is cast as the mouse, she becomes quite jealous. Louise learns to get over her jealousy and even helps Fern on the big night. This is an adorable story about dreaming big and friendship. You're little Diva will love the bright, colorful pictures and the glittery cover art.

In this delightful tale we meet, Louise, an adorable little girl who wants to be the BIG CHEESE.

Louise always dreamed big, that was her motto, and she wanted to be a big star. When the class was having its yearly play she wanted to be the star, but her best friend was given the part.

Louise was angry, after all she was to be the BIG CHEESE. She would not talk to her friend and became very angry. Than something happened and Louise learned that always wanting to be the BIG Cheese was not the most important thing in the world.

This book teaches a great lesson and does so in a fun, interesting way. The illustrations are brilliant, colorful and pop out at you giving life to the story. Very well done.

If you don't buy this book for anything else but the dust jacket, you've done well. The cover is done in glitter everywhere and it's just, well, awesome! Honestly, if you get this book, don't EVER get rid of it. It has all the makings of a collector's item, it's really that unique. LOVE IT! VERY well done!

Anyway, the story is about a little girl who dreams of becoming a broadway star and when the opportunity to play the lead in the play arrives, she's SURE she's beat out her poor friend, Fern. However, Fern winds up with the part and Louise, the main character, ends up playing a mouse. She shows her extreme disappointment when she refuses to talk to Fern anymore which is resolved when Fern forgets her line and Louise whispers it in her ear. The story encourages young girls to dream big, no matter how "non-fussy" your parents and sister may be, and, how to be a true friend. Loved the name for her sis' lipstick - "Divine Diva." Cute story - but the boys might frown upon all that "pink" on the cover! Can't wait for the upcoming sequel - The Big Cheese and the La-di-dah Shoes!" Highly recommend!