Naturally, we love a good book about the library. It's a little meta, checking out a book about the library FROM the library but also appropriate. Also I buy hardly any picture books without checking them out first so almost all of the thousands of books (literally, over 2,200 just read to Luke) have come from the library. It's nice to see authors who love the library as much as we do!
Here are twelve picture books about the library, for you to check out for yourself!
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, links for which are included within this post, at no additional cost to you. Thanks for helping support this blog!
1) Lost in the Library: A Story of Patience and Fortitude by Josh Funk, illustrated by Stevie Lewis
Patience and Fortitude are the stone lions who stand guard over the 5th Avenue entrance of the New York Public Library (we've seen them once, on our first trip). One morning, Fortitude finds Patience missing and goes on a search through the library to find his missing friends before the city that never sleeps, awakens. You know I love a good NYC story and this made me wish we had gone inside on one of our stops. Regardless of your feelings for New York, this was fun adventure through the library.
2) Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpre by Anika Aldamuy Denise, illustrated by Paola Escobar
This is the one we read most recently and the one that inspired this whole list! This is a true story of a woman who came to the US in 1921 with years of folklore from Puerto Rico in her memory. She became a librarian in New York where she turned her folklore stories into books. She was an influential storyteller and librarian whose effects are still felt. Just a warning that there are a handful of sentences in Spanish that I either skipped or just made up what they said, since I only know about 15 words. But the story still worked.
3) Quiet! There's a Canary in the Library by Don Freeman
I was recently reminded of this book when my sister logged it on Goodreads and I immediately added it to my list. We may have owned it growing up? I know I read it to myself many times. The little girl in the story knows what she would do if she was a librarian for the day - she would invite all the animals into the library and help them find books. And this works, until the porcupine gets too close to the lion. It was so lovely to revisit with my sons, even if I NEVER want to go to a library filled with animals.
4) Madeline Finn and the Library Dog by Lisa Papp
Madeline Finn does NOT like to read and she especially does NOT like to read aloud in front of her class. Luckily for Madeline Finn, she meets Bonnie at the library. Bonnie is a library dog and she doesn't mind when Madeline Finn stumbles over words or loses her place, unlike the kids at school. Again, not a pet person but my sons, especially our older one, are big animal people and Luke really liked the idea of reading to a dog.
5) The Berenstain Bears: We Love the Library by Mike Berenstain
Berenstain Bears were my FAVORITE as a kid and now we own a whole lot of them (fulfilling my childhood dream of owning all them pictured on the back cover when I was a kid). Brother and Sister Bear love the library and are devastated when they learn it might have to shut down. I understand the feeling, I would be the same if something happened to our library system!
6) Homer the Library Cat by Reeve Lindbergh, illustrated by Anne Wilsdorf
Homer is a quiet cat, living in a quiet house with a quiet lady but one day there is a loud noise and he jumps out the window. Now he must find a new quiet place and the town where they live is surprisingly loud! So he finds himself in the library, which, naturally, should be quiet (although I can't always say my kids are quiet when we are there...).
7) The New LiBEARian by Alison Donald, illustrated by Alex Willmore
The kids at the library are looking for the librarian so story time can begin but they find a bear sitting at her desk! They think this must be the new librarian but he doesn't do story time in the way in which they are used to! This showcases the magic of stories and story time.
8) The Night Library by David Zeltser, illustrated by Raul Colon
A young boy is upset that he's gotten a book for his birthday and when he's asleep he is visited by Patience and Fortitude (here they are again!) who show him the power of the library. The boy from the Bronx is shown how magic books can be to him and to those he loves.
9) The Boy Who Was Raised by Librarians by Carla Morris, illustrated by Brad Sneed
Melvin loves the librarians at his library. No matter what question he has, they help him find an answer. They know him and instill in him a love of knowledge. Melvin grows and eventually goes off to college. Will he get to be too big for his librarian friends?
10) Bats at the Library by Brian Lies
I can't say that I really want to see bats inside my library (or any building for that matter) but these bats LOVE the library. At night, when all the people have gone away, they take over the building to make shadow puppets and play in the water fountain before settling down for story time. Not too dissimilar to how my boys go to the library, except they we are always there during the daytime!
11) The Library by Sarah Stewart, illustrated by David Small
Elizabeth Brown doesn't like dolls and doesn't want to skate. She likes books. Except that she accumulates so many of them that she can't make it out her front door anymore! So she decided to open her own library. What book loving kid hasn't dreamed of or tried this?
12) Hooray for Books! by Brian Won
Turtle can't find his favorite book and asks all his friends if they've borrowed it. They haven't but they all do share their favorite books with him. Should Turtle try one of their favorite books instead? Not technically about the library but it does celebrate a love of books!
Do you have any favorite picture books about the library for us to check out?
No comments:
Post a Comment