The Story of a Book

Loosely tracing the circulation cycle of a library checkout, McCullough sings the praises of books and the magic they make with their “perfect reader” in this inviting tribute. While a brand-new pink tome is initially passed up by a patron, the volume is soon enjoyed by kids in a community depicted with various abilities and skin tones, including a child in a hospital bed and two children at a swimming hole. As time passes, “so many readers/ love the book/ or chew on it/ spill on it/ sleep on it/ cry on it” that it heads, tattered, to a library book sale, and becomes fodder for creativity. Vibrantly saturated colors infuse Holzwarth’s curvaceous artwork, which traces whimsical doodles emanating from the treasured object. Ages 4–8. (Aug.)