In a colony full of busy beavers, one bashful beaver is hiding a gigantic secret…

Lulu the Beaver

Lulu tries to be a typical beaver, but, with creativity bursting at the seams, her secret is getting out! Despite her friends’ encouragement, Lulu’s struggle with fear and self-doubt has led her into a pattern of destroying her artwork — until an unexpected encounter changes Lulu, and the forest, for good.

With funny asides, sound effects, and elements of comic-book style, this eye-opening tale urges kids to be themselves and to never stop dreaming.

Perfect for unlocking creativity in ages 4 and up! 

“The idea of feeling…boxed in by others’ expectations…is a complicated subject to tackle, but Gano handles it deftly. Gano’s evocative text, combined with her dynamic and multihued mixed media illustrations, make for an immersive and atmospheric reading experience.”
— BookLife Review (Editor’s Pick)

​“[Lulu] loves the rhythms of the world and cherishes her forest neighbors — but she also dreams in color and yearns to chew stumps into shapes. Ebullience ferries this inspiring tale forward, and the revelation of Lulu’s beautiful differences is a triumphant moment for all.”
— Foreword Reviews (Starred Review)

Gold Medal Winner of the 2023 Ben Franklin Award —
the Bill Fisher Award for Best First Book: Children's / Young Adult

Gold Medal Winner of the 2023 Moonbeam Children’s Book Award — Best Writer/Illustrator

Gold Medal Winner of the 2022 President's Award for Children's Book Illustration from the Florida Authors and Publishers Association

2022 Story Monsters Approved Winner — Picture Books (Ages 3-8) Fiction

2022 INDIES Book of the Year Awards — Picture Book Finalist

Printed and bound in the United States of America.

Lulu’s Activity Book

Get ready for loads of forest fun. Join Lulu and her friends for drawing and writing activities, coloring pages, jokes, puzzles and more!

A Peek at What’s Inside:
• “Carve” your own adventure
• Design a new character
• Help Pickle find her jet pack
• Build your own jet pack!

The activity book is full of fun activities that help adults slide into important conversations about confronting fear and doubt, flipping gloomy thinking and bravely sharing our gifts — in a lighthearted way. And of course the kids will have fun! And make art! And tell stories! Ideal for keeping 5-8 year olds busy.

CREATING SPACE
In this Kickstarter post I share about the importance of making creative safe space for our kids.

MELTDOWNS
I share about the struggles I (and my kids) have had with sharing artwork in this Kickstarter post.