MISS BROOKS LOVES BOOKS (AND I DON'T) (PICTURE BOOK)

PICTURE BOOK
MISS BROOKS LOVES BOOKS (AND I DON'T)  by Barbara Bottner, illustrated by Michael Emberley (Knopf, 2010)

 Miss Brooks tells us about something truly terrifying:  Book Week!
"You each need to pick a favorite story to share with the class.  I want you to wear a costume and tell us about it.  Really show us why you love it!"
"I'll never love a book the way you do," I tell Miss Brooks.
"Don't be so sure," she says.

Fairies?  No.  Dogs?  No.  Cowboys?  No.  This reluctant reader is "stubborn as a wart."  Did somebody say warts?!  Heyyyy...!  This hilarious and honest picture book tells it like it is: with some persistence, there's a book out there for every reader, it's all about making the right connections.  The wry cartoon illustrations are priceless, particularly those that show Miss Brooks pulling out all the stops in order to share her enthusiasm, whether dressing as a Very Hungry Caterpillar, donning a pumpkin on her head for a seasonal storytime, or packing her unwilling patron's backpack full of about three thousand books in the quest to help her find the one that will make all the difference. This book has so much that is recognizable to readers, whether it's the tug of war between red-hot booklover and lukewarm browser, to the title that ultimately creates a reading convert.  More than just a very funny story by a veteran of children's book charmers (remember BOOTSIE BARKER BITES?)  this is a celebration of why we need libraries: not just as places where we find books, but places where we find the people who believe in their power.  This is a must-must-MUST-have for every reluctant reader, and for every cutie embarking on a summer reading program (cuties being both kids and librarians). (5 and up)

Also of interest:

THE JELLYBEANS AND THE BIG BOOK BONANZA by Laura Numeroff and Nate Evans, illustrated by Lynn Munsinger (Abrams, 2010)

A circle of anthropomorphic animals have a wide range of interests.

"I'd rather be dancing," Emily said.
"I wish I was playing soccer," Nicole added.
"When can I go paint?"  Bitsy asked.
Anna said quietly to her friends, "Just as jellybeans come in lots of flavors, there's a book that everyone will like."

Anna is staunch in her enthusiasm for reading, but reverts into a shy little bunny when it comes to sharing her own favorite book.  With a little cheerleading from her buddies, she musters the bravery to deliver a jim-dandy book report, and how to best celebrate?  With jellybeans, of course!  This latest addition to the "Jellybean" picture book series by the author of IF YOU GIVE A MOUSE A COOKIE is a gentle homage to the bookworm (or bookbunny, as the case may be) and benefits from Munsinger's chummy artwork (her style seen in TACKY THE PENGUIN) that foreshadows happy endings with every expressive smile. Optimistic and friendly, a little pink glitter bling on the cover doesn't hurt as an "in" to second grade chick-lit circles, either.  (5 and up)

My favorite booklover will always be Roger Duvoisin's PETUNIA, about a silly goose who learns the hard way that to be smart, you can't just carry a book under your wing...you have to carry it in your heart. But Petunia is  no spring chicken on the children's book shelves, and there are recent titles that also celebrate booklovers.  For instance!  ALFRED ZECTOR, BOOK COLLECTOR by Kelly DiPucchio, illustrated by Maky Pamintuan (Harper, 2010), is a rhyming story about a book collection gone awry a la Sarah Stewart's THE LIBRARY, but with slick and smooth computer illustrations and a waiting-for-animation-feel (6 and up).

And we have met Lola in LOLA AT THE LIBRARY before in her perfect celebration of a preschool child's first visit to the library, and in this companion book LOLA LOVES STORIES by Anna McQuinn, illustrated by Rosalind Beardshaw (Charlesbridge, 2010) Lola is finding inspiration for pretend inside the titles she selects (3 and up).  

On a personal note

In the spirit of dear Miss Brooks Who Loves Books (and so do we), why don't you share your favorite childhood school or public library experience?  Ten people who comment (and are reachable) will be selected at random to receive a 2010 Read to Me calendar, generously donated by one of my favorite organizations, The Family Reading Partnership (check out their website for the "Oh Baby!" photo contest to vie for $100 in children's books!).  Alas, the year's half over, but there's still time to jot down your daily read-aloud, and the gorgeous artwork of children enjoying books by celebrated children's illustrators (like Aliki, Elisa Kleven, Tomie dePaola, Jesse Watson), are all beautiful and frame-worthy any day of any year!

For me, one of my most special memories would be my school librarian reading our seventh grade class THE EGG TREE by Katherine Milhouse, and asking us all to blow eggs at home and bring them in to decorate her own egg tree, overflowing with ovals saved from students throughout her entire teaching career.  She let me check out the odd copy of Rousseau in French that had somehow found its way into the grade school collection, no questions asked, although at the time I'm sure it was obvious to her that I couldn't read or understand Rousseau or French. The library was the place where I could pretend to be the fancy person who I wanted to be, the person who knew about beautiful things I didn't always understand...the library was the place where it was safe to not have arrived, but to be becoming.

Or maybe my favorite memory was the one time my parents dropped me off for the kids-only preschool storytime in the Chicago Public Library (John Merlo branch), oh, the room was so packed with children from front to back, and where were my parents?  Panic mode!  Panic mode!  But we all got to sit on tidy little mats that we shared with partners, and best of all, at the end of the storytime, the librarian passed out cut-outs that had pictures of animals on both sides that seemed MAGICAL to me for some reason...how did she cut them so nicely?  How did she fit a picture of a wild animal on both sides?  Obviously, this was a woman of powerful and extraordinary gifts, a woman that made me crane my neck over my shoulder as I left the room. 

School libraries around the country are currently in terrible peril, on the front lines for cuts and downsizing, despite the obvious and well-documented benefits and the renewed need for capable instructional media professionals in the digital age.  These days, sometimes I worry very much that school library programs will go the way of home economics and shop (two other great subjects that help children learn how to do things and create things and not just take tests), and though many have reassured me that the economy will rebound, childhood is short and a lot of experiences can be lost in  little time. A generation that goes without is a generation that loses a knowledge and appreciation of what is missing.  This is a cause for concern, but also cause for advocacy, invention and intervention.  As supporting characters in the reading life stories of our children, let us be inventive of opportunities outside of institutions.  Be aware of cuts that are proposed or underway in your area, and be vocal about your opposition...this is one of those times when it's okay to be loud in the library! 

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