The library book / by Tom Chapin and Michael Mark ; illustrated by Chuck Groenink.

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  • Additional Information
    • Publication Information:
      First edition.
    • Abstract:
      Summary: Using the lyrics to Tom Chapin and Michael Mark's "The Library Song," this picture book celebrates the magic of reading and of libraries.
    • ISBN:
      9781481460927
      1481460927
    • Accession Number:
      2016007680
    • Accession Number:
      on1004427180
      1004427180
    • Accession Number:
      fay.543218

Reviews

Booklist Reviews 2017 July #1

*Starred Review* This cheerful picture book opens on a rainy Saturday morning. While her dad's snoring and her brother's watching TV, an African American girl walks down to the library. Looking around, she spies old friends (Winnie the Pooh, Sleeping Beauty, Madeline, the Cat in the Hat, etc.), who all want to go home with her. Soon a happy crowd of fictional characters is parading down the street. On the wordless last page, the girl's on her bed, reading contently beside Winnie the Pooh. Written in 1989, with upbeat lyrics, natural-sounding rhymes, and a catchy tune, the song "The Library Song" creates a surprisingly good text for a picture book. The words can be read aloud easily, as the cadence is evident when the words are spoken, but the effect is more magical when the words are sung (the tune is readily available online). Groenink, the illustrator of Evan Kuhlman's Hank's Big Day (2016), brings the song to life on the page through his pleasing pencil-and-digital artwork. From the rainy-village street scene to the library interiors to the child's cozy bedroom, the pictures are well structured and full of intriguing details for children to find and enjoy. Fun for story hours and satisfying for reading one-on-one. Copyright 2017 Booklist Reviews.

Horn Book Guide Reviews 2018 Spring

A bespectacled brown-skinned girl saves a rainy day with a lively trip to the library. Warm digital and pencil illustrations depict stories coming to life; in bustling scenes, familiar literary characters join the bookish protagonist in song and dance. The text is comprised of the lyrics to the singer-songwriter authors' "Library Song" (sheet music included); readers unfamiliar with the tune may stumble over some unusual rhythms. Copyright 2018 Horn Book Guide Reviews.

PW Reviews 2017 September #3

Singer-songwriter Chapin follows The Backwards Birthday Party, also illustrated by Groenink,with a second picture book adapted from his extensive catalog: in this case, "Library Song" (written with Mark) from his album Moonboat. "I'm going down to the library,/ picking out a book, check it in, check it out./ Gonna say hi to the dictionary,/ picking out a book, check it in, check it out," sings a brown-skinned girl with round yellow eyeglasses as she runs through the rain. Beyond the rows and rows of waiting books, several classic children's book figures soon appear on the scene, including Pinocchio, Sleeping Beauty, Babar, the Cat in the Hat, and Mother Goose. Even the serious librarian gets caught up in the increasingly rowdy fun, earning her a "shhh!" from the girl, who is ready to start reading. It's a book that could easily be used in elementary school classrooms before visits to the library, and readers will enjoy spotting recognizable characters in Groenink's cozy illustrations. This celebration of reading and libraries is sure to charm those who love both. Ages 4–8. Illustrator's agent: Stephen Barr, Writers House. (Oct.)

Copyright 2017 Publishers Weekly.