The Library Book

When Zach, who is white, reveals during a group visit to the library that they don’t like “ANY books,” a brown-skinned child called Ro seeks to persuade Zach otherwise. Offering legions of recommendations via exclamatory sentences with simplistic rhymes (“I think you’d like a funny story! A thrilling tale... or something gory?”), Ro pulls out all the stops, conjuring imagery from the library’s volumes: a group of dinosaurs and foliage burst from one book, and a pirate ship and a dragon’s lair appear in other vignettes. Scribbly line art by Morris, in a style reminiscent of Quentin Blake and Matthew Cordell, portrays an immense library with rickety ladders, a friendly dinosaur shelf, and book stacks large enough to climb. The book’s text is more a celebration of books and literacy than of libraries, despite the title, and Zach’s sudden change of heart in the face of Ro’s relentless enthusiasm seems unlikely. But for the already converted, Dawnay’s lines preach the thrill of finding a new read. Ages 3–5. [em](Aug.) [/em]