Alpacas Make Terrible Librarians

Mahoney uses the titular premise as springboard to provide a humorous micro-introduction to alpacas’ habits and traits. Second-person text opens with a warning: “If you’re looking for a book, and the librarian happens to be an alpaca—BEWARE!!” The reasons immediately become clear with the appearance of a temperamental magenta mammal whose approach to librarianship aligns with her nature. She offers to give haircuts to make herself feel better about her annual shearing, clucks and hums endlessly, and suggests a child use a communal dung pile in lieu of a bathroom. The alpaca’s animal aspects are on particular display during storytime, with narration intoning that “alpacas have a split upper lip that moves around in crazy directions when reading. Try not to stare.” The Thornes’ unlined renderings supply a chaotic energy communicated by vibrant colors, patterns, and occasional emanata. The effect amplifies the raucous vibe of this silly celebration of alpacas and libraries. Ages 4–8. (Sept.)