What do you think?
Rate this book
Too Loud Lily
Lily the hippo discovers that there's a time and a place for her high-volume gifts in this delightful celebration of standing out from the crowd.
Lily Hippo is too loud. She sings too loudly, she laughs too loudly, and everyone knows when she is around. At home she disturbs the peace and wakes the baby. At school she gets her friends into trouble. She can't help it. But one day a new teacher, Miss Loopiola, comes to school to teach music and drama, and Lily discovers that she is doing exactly the right thing at last. When the school play comes around, Lily finds she is loud in just the right way.
Lily Hippo is too loud. She sings too loudly, she laughs too loudly, and everyone knows when she is around. At home she disturbs the peace and wakes the baby. At school she gets her friends into trouble. She can't help it. But one day a new teacher, Miss Loopiola, comes to school to teach music and drama, and Lily discovers that she is doing exactly the right thing at last. When the school play comes around, Lily finds she is loud in just the right way.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1948
About the author
Sofie Laguna
30 books363 followersSofie Laguna originally studied to be a lawyer at the University of New South Wales, but after deciding law was not for her, she moved to Melbourne to train as an actor. Sofie worked for a number of years as an actor at the same time as completing a Diploma in Professional Writing and Editing at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. Sofie is now an author and playright writing for both adults and children.
Her many books for young people have been named Honour Books and Notable Books in the Children’s Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Awards and have been shortlisted in the Queensland Premier’s Awards. She has been published in the US and the UK and in translation throughout Europe and Asia.
Her picture book, On Our Way to the Beach, was included in the White Raven 2005 annual selection of outstanding international children’s books by the International Youth Library (Associated Project if UNESCO)
In 2008 Sofie released her first novel for adults, One Foot Wrong, to international acclaim. It was shortlisted for the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards and long-listed for the Miles Franklin Award. Screen rights for the book have been optioned and Sofie has recently completed the screenplay.
Sofie continues to write for a wide readership, from picture books for very young children, to series for older readers, to novels for adults.
Sofie lives in Melbourne with her partner and their young son.
Her many books for young people have been named Honour Books and Notable Books in the Children’s Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Awards and have been shortlisted in the Queensland Premier’s Awards. She has been published in the US and the UK and in translation throughout Europe and Asia.
Her picture book, On Our Way to the Beach, was included in the White Raven 2005 annual selection of outstanding international children’s books by the International Youth Library (Associated Project if UNESCO)
In 2008 Sofie released her first novel for adults, One Foot Wrong, to international acclaim. It was shortlisted for the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards and long-listed for the Miles Franklin Award. Screen rights for the book have been optioned and Sofie has recently completed the screenplay.
Sofie continues to write for a wide readership, from picture books for very young children, to series for older readers, to novels for adults.
Sofie lives in Melbourne with her partner and their young son.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews
December 31, 2020
4 year old talked about this book for weeks after hearing it in 4k.
October 17, 2013
Topic 8, Fiction
Laguna. Sofie, (2002)Too Loud Lily, Omnibus books, Gosford, NSW.
What a humorous little book, a book that many would relate to. A little hippo with lots of character, and full of joy.
The flow of this book just made me want to pick it up again and read it to those around me. Starting off with everyone complaining about Lily being loud, displaying the sadness in the story as if Lily was getting sad. Until the new teacher came to the school, then to find that the teacher was a drama/music teacher recognising the talents that Lily has. The teacher uses the negativity of Lily being loud and used that to bring out the best in her.
The flow of the story is full of tones and pace that it is a book that I look forward to reading this book many times in my classes to come.
An awesome story line and an exciting little book that I think many children will enjoy this greatly in the future.
March 12, 2013
Lily Hippo was way too loud! Finally when a new teacher comes to her school she finds a place to use her loudness. This could be a good book to use when talking about loudness and when there is a time for it. Also would be good to relate text to self.
September 6, 2022
Too Loud Lily is about a little girl who has a hard time being quiet; and she is loud when she talks, when she plays, with pretty much anything she is loud. Everyone gets mad at her though when she is loud and making a lot of noise and always tells her to be quiet. She was sad and felt like she could not be herself until she met someone new.
I feel that this book is a good example of a quality book because there are good illustrations throughout the book, which I feel children would be interested in. Throughout this book there was good dialogue: which means a conversation between two people. Which happened during the story and when it did you could really see their personalities between different characters when they spoke.
I think that a good way that this book can be used is for students who have a harder time using their inside voices in the classroom. I think that it could teach them to learn when to be loud and when to be quiet; but for them not to feel sad or alone. I also feel that this book is good for kids in grades second and third.
I feel that this book is a good example of a quality book because there are good illustrations throughout the book, which I feel children would be interested in. Throughout this book there was good dialogue: which means a conversation between two people. Which happened during the story and when it did you could really see their personalities between different characters when they spoke.
I think that a good way that this book can be used is for students who have a harder time using their inside voices in the classroom. I think that it could teach them to learn when to be loud and when to be quiet; but for them not to feel sad or alone. I also feel that this book is good for kids in grades second and third.
Want to read
September 11, 2022Lilly is a loud hippo, she doesnt quiet know when to be quite. She can at most times be too loud at the wrong times. But in the end theres one person who will change her life.
This is a good quality book, it shows how at a young age you dont realize what youre doing, but you can meet one person who will show you the tricks of the trade. This book describes into deatail Lilys life/ perspective on things, and I thorouly enjoyed that.
I can see myself using this book in a classroom setting, i can make a lesson plan all about how using your abilitys that people dont like can work using it in a differnt way just like lily.
This is a good quality book, it shows how at a young age you dont realize what youre doing, but you can meet one person who will show you the tricks of the trade. This book describes into deatail Lilys life/ perspective on things, and I thorouly enjoyed that.
I can see myself using this book in a classroom setting, i can make a lesson plan all about how using your abilitys that people dont like can work using it in a differnt way just like lily.
July 22, 2017
This book was really funny! The Hippo was being too loud and everyone was saying she was too loud. when she was in school also thought she was loud. The best part of the story was when she went to the play and did her best, everyone LOVED it!
January 29, 2019
I thought that this was a cute book. I read this to both my 1st and 3rd grade class and they thought it was funny. This is an AR book for anyone who wants to know. I would recommend this book to others.
September 14, 2017
I liked the end because I liked the end of the show.
October 25, 2018
We loved loud Lily!
August 29, 2019
Everyone thinks Lily is too loud, but then she gets an opportunity to express her loudness.
April 9, 2020
A beautifully illustrated story about finding a space in which your eccentricities are celebrated.
October 25, 2020
A wonderful book to read aloud.
May 26, 2021
Encantadora, ruidosa y entretenida. Ligeramente peligrosa pero genuina y con esplendor.
September 1, 2021
I love how this book showed that there’s a place for everyone. What other people view as our weakness can actually be our strength under the right circumstances. I liked the illustrations too.
October 10, 2024
4.5 ⭐️
September 16, 2022
Another favorite growing up. Lily was highly relatable.
February 22, 2012
This story titled Too Loud Lily was written by Sofia Laguna, and illustrated by Kerry Argent. The girl hippo in the story is too loud for everyone. She is loud in everything she does; even when she tries to be quiet she is still loud. Lily then meets a new music and dance teacher name Miss Loopiola. Miss Loopiola Allows Lily t o be loud in the class, and Lily loves it. Miss Loopiola loves her being loud to and she gets a lead part in a play, and everyone loves it. I believe that the plot of the story was good in this book. There was a sequence of events that occurred throughout the book. The story started off with a problem, which was Lily being too loud, and ending with a solution of her being able to be loud and everyone loved it. The main character lily played the roll of self verses others in the conflict in the story.
The age range for this book is from nursery, to primary. Nursery ages can enjoy the book as it is being read to them. I believe this book is also relatable to children. I also say primary because this is a good starter book for children learning to read.
The artistic elements of the story are very age appropriate and good for this style of writing. The story is has few words and many pictures in sequential order. In this book it also allows the children to use their imagination, showing pictures with no words. This book also has lots of lines that create the shapes and separation of characters and objects, but not showing much texture story also consists of different colors, but the colors are dual and not very bright.
I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to start reading to their children early and also those with beginning readers. The book was very entertaining and relatable for me. I would give this book a 4 star rating. I gave it a four star rating and not a five because I believe that it could use more bright colors like the colors on the cover.
The age range for this book is from nursery, to primary. Nursery ages can enjoy the book as it is being read to them. I believe this book is also relatable to children. I also say primary because this is a good starter book for children learning to read.
The artistic elements of the story are very age appropriate and good for this style of writing. The story is has few words and many pictures in sequential order. In this book it also allows the children to use their imagination, showing pictures with no words. This book also has lots of lines that create the shapes and separation of characters and objects, but not showing much texture story also consists of different colors, but the colors are dual and not very bright.
I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to start reading to their children early and also those with beginning readers. The book was very entertaining and relatable for me. I would give this book a 4 star rating. I gave it a four star rating and not a five because I believe that it could use more bright colors like the colors on the cover.
February 2, 2016
Summary - This story is about a lively elephant named Lily. Lily is different than everyone else. She is very loud and is constantly being told by her family and friends to be quiet. She often gets in trouble for her loudness. That all changed though when Miss Loopiola showed up. This new teacher at Lily’s school embraced Lily’s loudness and encourage her to use it by joining the school play. Everyone constantly telling Lily to be quiet almost changed who she was. All it took for Lily to embrace who she was, was on person believing in her and accepting her for all she was.
Theme - Everyone is different and every person has their own talents. There’s nothing wrong with being different and there is always a way you can use your talents to express yourself. You can't change who you are to please someone else.
Rating - 5 out of 5 stars
Personal Response - I was always the tallest when I was young and I felt like an outcast like Lily. I soon used my height to play volleyball and help win many games. This story really helps to express to children that it is okay to be different and there is always a purpose for their gifts.
Why I recommend this book - I loved this book because it had few words but great illustrations. The illustrations really showed Lily’s emotions of sadness and then acceptance. This book is a great way to get children to understand the concept of uniqueness. This book could also be a great tool to use when talking about bullying. Lily was different and often people are made fun of for that. This book showed her overcoming her shame and embracing herself which every child should learn to do.
Theme - Everyone is different and every person has their own talents. There’s nothing wrong with being different and there is always a way you can use your talents to express yourself. You can't change who you are to please someone else.
Rating - 5 out of 5 stars
Personal Response - I was always the tallest when I was young and I felt like an outcast like Lily. I soon used my height to play volleyball and help win many games. This story really helps to express to children that it is okay to be different and there is always a purpose for their gifts.
Why I recommend this book - I loved this book because it had few words but great illustrations. The illustrations really showed Lily’s emotions of sadness and then acceptance. This book is a great way to get children to understand the concept of uniqueness. This book could also be a great tool to use when talking about bullying. Lily was different and often people are made fun of for that. This book showed her overcoming her shame and embracing herself which every child should learn to do.
November 16, 2015
This is a story of a hippo, Lily, who does everything very loudly. Her loudness wakes the baby and gets her friends in trouble at school. People around her are upset, until a new teacher comes to Lily’s school and ask her to be in a school play where she can use her special talent.
This is a great book for teaching quiet and loud voices. The text is simple enough for the kids to understand and the content is rich with teaching opportunities. While reading the book, the teacher can talk about others’ feelings and perspectives-how people feel about loud voices, and consequences of actions—what will happen if we speak too loud sometimes. Most importantly, the discussion about loud voices is not biased. It doesn’t label loud voice as an all time inappropriate thing to do, but tells the kids that whether to use loud voices depends on the specific situation. There are places and times that we’ll need loud voices. While reading the book, teacher might use extremely quiet and loud voices to show the kids the strong contract of these two words. They can also add quiet and loud toys/materials for children with special needs to manipulate and have a better understanding of loud and quiet.
This book might be put on a bookshelf for literacy-loud and quiet, social-emotional-understanding others’ feelings, music, and social studies.
This is a great book for teaching quiet and loud voices. The text is simple enough for the kids to understand and the content is rich with teaching opportunities. While reading the book, the teacher can talk about others’ feelings and perspectives-how people feel about loud voices, and consequences of actions—what will happen if we speak too loud sometimes. Most importantly, the discussion about loud voices is not biased. It doesn’t label loud voice as an all time inappropriate thing to do, but tells the kids that whether to use loud voices depends on the specific situation. There are places and times that we’ll need loud voices. While reading the book, teacher might use extremely quiet and loud voices to show the kids the strong contract of these two words. They can also add quiet and loud toys/materials for children with special needs to manipulate and have a better understanding of loud and quiet.
This book might be put on a bookshelf for literacy-loud and quiet, social-emotional-understanding others’ feelings, music, and social studies.
June 23, 2015
Laguna, Sofie, and Kerry Argent. Too Loud Lily. New York: Scholastic, 2004. Print. Ages 6-8. Too Loud Lily is a very intriguing and very nice book for students to realize when they feel that they are being judged. Lily is a bigger animal and she believes that she has friends, until they don't really enjoy talking to her, because she can get too loud. At this point, then she realizes that she needs to change and make a difference for those around her, but that isn't without the help of her new teacher that comes in. Her new teacher introduces her and talks to her about the play that will be coming up and immediately that is something that interests Lily. She is very grateful for this new teacher to explain and have her let loose. I really like this book because it really shows and tells how even though when animals and people are loud that they can still be liked and loved and that there is a place for everyone. It really makes me think of those who got left out in my class from high school. It just makes me take a step back and realize what kind of person I really want to be.
November 16, 2015
No matter how hard she tries to be quiet, poor Lily Hippo is too loud. She wakes her baby sister, prevents her dad from thinking, and "makes more noise than a heard of elephants" according to her big brother. Even her best friends complain she is too loud. However, Lily's tendency to be loud is embraced by all when she performs in the school play. This book is great for teaching a number of different concepts: 1) what it means to be loud, 2) there is a time and a place for certain behaviors, and 3) how can we respond when someone around us is behaving inappropriately? Children can take turns acting out what it means to be loud and quiet, and can talk about appropriate contexts for being quiet and loud. Children who are not yet able to discuss these topics may participate by identifying and/or labeling the different animals in the story.
January 27, 2015
I love the concept of this book. Lily is loud and is always being told to quiet down, until she finds her calling. The moral behind this story is that even though something a person is good at may be a hindrance to some people, it can be a pleasure to others. Lily had the knack for drama and once she found something she did well her self-esteem began to rise. This book would be good to get children to relate the book to an experience in their life. The illustrations in this book are colorful and pertain to the story line.
January 30, 2012
Too loud Lily is a good book for a teacher with the awkward kid in class. Maybe they can't sit still or do anything gracefully. It's also good for the other students to read to learn patience and acceptence. Everyone has his or her own set of talents and skills, and they don't always look alike. Sometimes they don't even look inviting. However, as teachers we must decide how to put those students' strenghts into action. I would read this to K-2.
May 1, 2012
Lily is a very loud and expressive little girl. Everytime she starts to sing Lily is told she is too loud. She is always getting into trouble because she is to loud. Lily has to learn there is a time and place for everything. Finally Lily is aloud to express herself in a school play, and she can be as loud as she wants. This is a good book to help teach students it is okay to express themseves, bit there is a time and place for it. Ages k-3rd.
March 26, 2013
Lily is a fun-loving, little pig who loses a lot of her spunk when she is constantly told to quiet down. Lily soon finds a niche in her school's drama program that allows her to be as loud as she wants. This story would be a great tool to use when teaching children the appropriate times and places for certain behaviors, e.g., using our outside voices. Lily teaches us all that everyone has a place in this world, no matter how loud or quiet they might be!
April 9, 2015
This book was a good read because at the beginning of the story everyone told Lily she was too loud. Lily always tried to be more quiet to please everyone but she could never do so. Lily's friends and family always told her she was too loud. She got a new teacher that let her be as loud as she could be and she loved her. She loved her new teacher because she let her be loud and some times she said she still was not loud enough.
January 1, 2020
I love this book. It teaches kids that it's okay to be different. 💕
.
In this book, everyone says Lily Hippo is way too loud. But when a new teacher comes to her school to teach music and drama, Lily Hippo finds she is loud in just the right way.
.
You may not be everybody's cup of tea. But all you need is one person to believe in your potential. Given the right circumstances, some praise and a bit of nudging, you will shine.
.
Just like Lily Hippo. 🦏
.
In this book, everyone says Lily Hippo is way too loud. But when a new teacher comes to her school to teach music and drama, Lily Hippo finds she is loud in just the right way.
.
You may not be everybody's cup of tea. But all you need is one person to believe in your potential. Given the right circumstances, some praise and a bit of nudging, you will shine.
.
Just like Lily Hippo. 🦏
November 1, 2011
This book is about a hippo who loves to be loud. She goes through many troubles throughout her homelife and school because she is always loud. However, things all changed and turned around for Lily when she entered into the school play. I liked this book because it shows kids to accept who you are and to honor the talents you have.
January 29, 2012
This is cute story about a Hippo named Lily who couldn't find her place because she was so loud. She finally found her calling in acting and found a place to belong. This is a great book to show children how we all have different talents and characteristics, but we are all one in the same. This story would be cute for a younger crowd of children.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews