Marilou, Iguana Hunter

Carol-Ann Hoyte is a children’s bookseller in Montreal.

As readers may have guessed, Marilou Cries Wolf is a take on the tale of
the child who cried wolf. At the beginning of the book, the author
mentions that there are many versions of the tale, which originated in
the Berry region of central France. Marilou is bored, and it’s her
boredom that gets her into trouble. When all of her friends are busy
doing unboring things, she comes up with an idea to entertain herself.
She decides to use the telephone to play tricks on them. First, she
fools Boris into thinking there’s a wolf lurking around her house.
Next, Marilou convinces the Carboni sisters and their mother that her
house is on fire. This prank gets way out of hand and lands Marilou in
hot water. But she finally gets a dose of her own medicine and learns
her lesson when her friends and father team up to play a trick on her.

In Marilou, Iguana Hunter, the young girl and her friends gather
together to decorate her Christmas tree. But her friend Boris appears to
be in a less-than-festive mood. He is heartbroken because he has lost
his pet iguana, Charlotte. Marilou enlists her friends Jojo, Zaza, and
Tommy to help track down the missing reptile. But looking for an iguana
in the winter proves to be a challenging task. Marilou and her gang face
a dilemma when Pepito, a poor classmate, finds Charlotte. Pepito will be
unhappy if they take Charlotte away from him, but Boris misses her and
wants her back. In the end, the children conjure up a plan that yields
happy results for everyone.

Children will find both of these comical chapter books entertaining
reads. The black-and-white illustrations enliven each chapter, adding
visual appeal and breaking up the text. Adults looking for Christmas
stories with a twist or simple ones that are not too heavy on religious
content will find that Marilou, Iguana Hunter fits the bill. Both books
are recommended.