Goodkin

The "Little Lulu" Mystique

Little Lulu, created by Marge Buell in 1935, has been a part of my life since I took my five-year-old daughter, Ava to Meltdown, an impressive comic book shop on the Sunset Strip. We needed to buy a gift for a friend of hers, and were looking for something off the beaten path of Target and Toys-R-Us. I thought that Meltdown would be a fun place to check out. Little did I know that I would be making many trips here, mostly for gifts for Ava, over the next several years. 

At Meltdown, you can find a great selection of comic books, new and old, collectibles, toys and cool clothes for infants and babies. But it was the big-mouthed girl with the black oval eyes and what looks like cinnamon buns on her head that caught Ava's attention. Ava hadn't started reading then, but I could see she was really trying hard to work out the narrative of the story. It was fascinating to watch. What parent doesn't love to see their kid with a book? So, I  bought it for her, and it has literally been a four year love affair between Ava and Lulu.  

Now, not all kids are designed to enjoy the geeky pleasures of comic books—I myself did not. Some of Ava's friends have caught on and have also developed an oddly curious obsession with Lulu, while others show no interest. As a parent, it is just so exciting to see your kid turned on by a book (even if it is a comic book!) that I believe it's our job to feed that curiosity as much as we can. And, even though comics may be less "sophisticated" than classic children's books, I must say, Ava has turned into an excellent reader. She loves all types of books, Harry Potter, anything by Roald Dahl or E.B. White and she's starting to get into biographies. However, when she's done with her homework, her practice, watched a show and had dinner, she will inevitably pick up one of the many battered Little Lulu anthologies from her stash around the house and go on an adventure with Lulu and the gang. It is completely perplexing to me, but I still love to watch her read them, unless I need to ask her something or get a response of some sort. Invariably, I lose out to Lulu. 

I asked Ava a few questions to try and understand why, after almost five solid years of reading Little Lulu comics almost every day, she still enjoys reading them.

GK: Why do you like Lulu so much?
Ava: She's a trixster, and she likes mischief. I wish I could get away with the kind of stuff she does. 

GK: What does she do that's so mischievous?
Ava: She steals boys clothes when they're swimming—just stuff like that. She's bossy, and it's funny. I like her friends too, Tubby and Alvin. They get to go all around their neighborhood and just have fun. 

GK: Do you like super hero comics?
Ava: No, I don't. There are people who like the super hero type of stories, and those who like more cartoon types. That's me.

GK: What else do you like?
Ava: I like Daffy Duck, Archie is really great, and Charlie Brown. 

So there you have it. I'm sure Marge Buell would be very proud. And now that my girl is growing up so quickly, it's nice to know that at least Lulu will always be a little girl.

Some Little Lulu titles to check out:

• Little Lulu: The Big Dipper Club and Other Stories
• Little Lulu: Miss Feeny's Folly And Other Stories
• Little Lulu: The Bawlplayers And Other Stories
• Giant Size Little Lulu Volume 1

Is your kid into comic books? If so, which ones?  Please share!