Library Lion

What would you do if a lion came to the library? That’s the premise of Library Lion, by Michelle Knudsen. A lion walks into the library, walks around the stacks, and falls asleep in the story corner to the consternation of library patrons and the assistant at the circulation desk. The librarian, a stickler for the rules, allows the lion to stay as long as he doesn’t break the rules. The lion stays for and enjoys story hour, roaring because he doesn’t want it to end. The librarian reprimands him but says a nice quiet lion could come back for story hour tomorrow. The lion returns early the next day and makes himself useful dusting the encyclopedias, licking envelopes, and letting small children use him as a stepstool to the higher shelves. He continues to visit the library daily and soon library patrons look forward to seeing him, patting him on the head as he passes by and wondering aloud how they ever got along without him.

One day the librarian falls from a stepstool in her office and breaks her arm. The lion, trying to get help, does the only thing he knows to do, roaring loudly at the library assistant for help. The library assistant scolds the lion for breaking the rules and hurries to the librarian’s office to tattle on the lion, where he finds the librarian on the floor and calls the doctor. The lion, knowing he broke the rules, dejectedly leaves the library and doesn’t return. Everyone misses the lion, especially the librarian. The library assistant goes looking for the lion and tells him there is a new library rule – no roaring unless there is a very good reason. The lion returns to the library to cheers and hugs from the librarian and the children. The story ends with: “Sometimes there was a good reason to break the rules. Even in the library.”

The soft pencil and acrylic illustrations are charming (especially the last spread where the children are celebrating the lion’s return to the library) and add a timeless appeal to the story. Library Lion, by Michelle Knudsen, is a gentle, feel-good, and beautifully illustrated story that will appeal to library lovers everywhere, both children and adults alike.

Guest post by Allison C.

Child of Faerie, Child of the Earth

Every year around this time, when the nights become cooler and the mornings crisp, I look for the book Child of Faerie, Child of Earth, by Jane Yolen. Long one of my favorites, as well as my children's, it tells the story of a group of faeries coming together to celebrate All Hallow's Eve. On this particular night, a young girl is in the woods with her family and neighbors when she comes across a faerie boy, something she had previously believed impossible.

The story is told in beautiful, lilting poetry, with gorgeous illustrations to match. How he takes her by the hand to join the elves, faeries, brownies and sprites in their magical revels beneath the earth, and he begs her to stay. It's tempting, to be sure, but her reply is as it must be: she cannot.

In exchange, she shows him her world - the gardens, meadows and animals that make up her life. He helps her with her chores. She encourages him to stay with her, to work and rest together. He is surely impressed by the daytime world she inhabits, a world of sunlight and color, but determines that he cannot leave his faerie world behind.

Knowing she is about to lose her new friend, she searches for a gift to give him, something to remember her by in the years to come. She returns with a fresh egg from one of her hens. He is moved by her gift, and touches the egg shell, from which he magically pulls a feather to give her in return. In the end, they return to their homes and live their lives, but much to everyone's surprise, they occasionally visit each other in that faerie ring in the woods, until they are old and gray.

This is a friendship tale of the first degree, a beautiful example of simplicity in storytelling and excellence in illustration. Those of you who still believe in faeries won't be disappointed.

Guest post by Bridget W. 

Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge

Every once in a while, someone will ask me to name my all-time favorite children’s picture book. In those situations, I’m hard-pressed to come up with a single title above all others, but I could probably create a Top Ten list, and Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge would most definitely be on it. This sweet book by Mem Fox, written in the 1980s, brings young Wilfrid, "a small boy who wasn’t very old, either," to the nursing home next door to his house to visit its residents. Wilfrid enjoys the company of many of them because they play music, tell scary stories, or love cricket, but his favorite is Miss Nancy Alison Delacourt Cooper, 96, who has four names just like he does.

Miss Nancy has apparently lost her memories. Wilfrid wants to know what memories are, so he asks his parents and his other elderly friends, who answer with simple phrases like "something you remember," "something that makes you laugh, or cry," or "something as precious as gold."

Wilfrid goes looking for memories for Miss Nancy, and accidentally helps her by collecting some items that remind him of special things ~ some shells, a puppet, a medal from his grandfather, a football, and a fresh egg from a nearby hen. He places them all in a basket and takes them to her as a gift. As she examines each item, she begins to retrieve some of her own precious memories and share them with Wilfrid.

Julie Vivas’ soft, warm illustrations perfectly complement the story, rendering each character with humor, personality, and the dignity the topic deserves. We all have people in our lives who may need assistance finding their memories at some point in their lives, and children can work wonders in that regard without even knowing it. You owe it to yourself to read this book. Fortunately, it’s still in print and still available at the library after all these years; you will want to preserve it for generations to come.

Guest post by Bridget W. 

Frederick

Throughout the month of October, we will be featuring some of our most beloved picture books on the Open, Shut Them blog! Kicking off our special series is one of my all-time favorites: Frederick, by Leo Lionni.

Frederick and his four brothers are field mice who live in an old stone wall in a meadow on an abandoned farm. As cold weather approaches, they begin to gather food, working day and night to store up enough food to last through the winter – all except Frederick, who sits dreaming on a rock in the sun. When the other mice ask what he’s doing, he tells them he’s gathering colors, words, and the rays of the sun for the cold winter days. When winter comes, at first the mice are snug and happy in the wall with ample food. But the cold and gray of winter drags on and the food nearly runs out, leaving the mice dispirited and weary. Then it is the dreamer and poet, Frederick, who cheers them up and feeds their spirits using his store of poetic visual imagery. This fable demonstrates the value of different types of work in a society.

Frederick is a Caldecott Honor Book (runner up to the Caldecott Medal, awarded for excellence in illustration) and is beautifully illustrated using collage. Frederick, by Leo Lionni, is a great book with a simple plot and wonderful, kid-pleasing illustrations that will appeal to children of all ages.

Guest post by Allison C.