Tag Archives: books

A Little Self-Love: Books about Libraries

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It’s never a bad idea to engage in a little self-love, and for the Social Sciences, Health, and Education Library (SSHEL), the best time to do so is during National Library Week (April 6-12)! The American Library Association (ALA) spearheads the celebration of National Library Week each year to draw attention to the many ways libraries help their communities read, learn, have fun, and connect. To celebrate, you could attend a library program, make sure you’re a public library card holder, or even read a book about libraries…there are more books like this than you might think! This month’s S-Collection blog suggests a few library- and librarian-focused books that you or the young readers in your life might enjoy. Whether you’re interested in picture books, chapter books, or nonfiction books, the S-Collection has what you need to celebrate National Library Week this April!

Picture Books

Beatrice, Jenna
Illustrated by: Erika Lynne Jones
The Loud Librarian. 2023. Picture Book.
Penelope is a major bookworm and would be perfect in the role of “library helper” – if it weren’t for her loud voice! Throughout this lighthearted picture book, Penelope’s excitement and love for libraries sometimes means she speaks a little too loud, represented by her large and colorful speech balloons that take over the pages and eventually knock over an entire shelf of books. Luckily, libraries are for everyone, and Penelope finds her place in the library’s outdoor storytime. Young readers who sometimes struggle with staying quiet in libraries will relate to Penelope’s well-meaning excitement and can-do attitude.
Q. SE. B3807lo

Mitchell, Malcolm
Illustrated by: Joanne Lew-Vriethoff
The Magician’s Hat. 2018. Picture Book.
Library programs are truly magic in this picture book about a library’s Family Fun Day. The library has invited a magician to entertain the library patrons, and he promises to amaze the gathered children with what he pulls out of his hat. Rather than rabbits, this magician can procure books, but not just any books – books about what each child in attendance wants to be when they grow up. Reading and libraries alike are uplifted in this sweet story, authored by football player Malcolm Mitchell.
Q. SE. M6947ma

Papp, Lisa
Madeline Finn and the Library Dog. 2016. Picture Book.
Madeline Finn is a dog lover, but she is not a book lover. In fact, Madeline hates all kinds of reading – magazines, menus, and especially reading aloud in front of her classmates. Her classmates, after all, might be judging her and the way she sometimes struggles to read the words right. On one visit to her local library, however, the librarian makes Madeline an offer: Would she like to read to a dog? Bonnie the library dog doesn’t judge when Madeline makes mistakes, and after practicing with her week after week, Madeline soon has the confidence to read in front of her classmates with pride. Unique library services are highlighted in this heartwarming picture book about girls’ best friend.
Q. SE. P1987mfli

Middle Grade

Magoon, Kekla
The Secret Library. 2024. Middle Grade.
Eleven-year-old Dally is expected to take over Peteharrington Enterprises when she comes of age, a responsibility that comes with extensive tutoring. That tutoring takes away time from Dally’s true love: Adventure. Her grandpa used to support Dally’s love of magic and mystery, but ever since his death, Dally has had to face her strict and no-nonsense mother alone. Yearning for freedom from routine, Dally decides to open a letter her grandpa left her, which points her in the direction of a magical library whose books can transport her into the past. With the help of a trusty librarian, Dally begins exploring her family history, ultimately learning more about her mother and herself.
S. M275sec

Pennypacker, Sara
Illustrated by: Matthew Cordell
Leeva at Last. 2023. Middle Grade.
Leeva has a big question on her mind: What are people for? Her mother says fame and her father says wealth, but Leeva thinks it might be something more. Although her parents forbid her from leaving their property and attending school, Leeva sets out on her own, eventually stumbling upon the public library. There, she meets a librarian and her nephew who offer an entirely new perspective. Unfortunately for Leeva, her parents don’t support the library, and it’s up to Leeva and her new friends to protect it from those who don’t see its value. The importance of libraries to a community’s well-being is cemented in this over-the-top and joyful story of resistance from within.
S. P385le

Varnes, Allison
Property of the Rebel Librarian. 2018. Middle Grade.
June Harper is a rule follower, but after her middle school succumbs to pressure to censor and remove books from their library, she learns that some rules are meant to be broken. A voracious reader, June is close friends with her school librarian, Ms. Bradshaw, and spends a lot of time checking out interesting books such as The Makings of a Witch. When her parents decide this title is inappropriate, they bring their complaints to the PTA, get Ms. Bradshaw suspended, and begin withdrawing books from the library collection. Refusing to let reading go down without a fight, June opens a secret library full of banned books for the students to use. The freedom to read is brought to the forefront in this story of a young activist finding her voice.
S. V4312pr

Juvenile Nonfiction

Denise, Anika
Illustrated by: Paola Escobar
Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré. 2019. Juvenile Nonfiction.
In this colorful and lyrical biography, readers will learn about Pura Belpré, the first Puerto Rican librarian to work at the New York Public Library. Belpré’s bilingual storytelling and use of characters from Puerto Rican folklore filled a major gap in the library’s service. Belpré even wrote and published children’s books in Spanish when she realized there were no books for Spanish-speaking children to read. Belpré’s legacy and the exciting ways that librarians can uplift their community are made real throughout this beautifully illustrated nonfiction picture book.
Q. SB. B4189d

Kunkel, Angela Burke
Illustrator: Paola Escobar
Digging for Words: José Alberto Gutierrez and the Library He Built. 2020. Juvenile Nonfiction.
In this picture book biography, the inspiring story of garbage collector-turned library founder José Alberto Gutiérrez is brought to light. While collecting trash one day in his Colombian neighborhood, Gutiérrez found something in a garbage can that caught his eye: A book called Anna Karenina. Entranced, Gutiérrez read the novel over and over, eventually deciding to look for other tossed-out books to make a library. Over time, Gutiérrez’s library becomes a neighborhood staple, bringing the joy of reading to children across the city.
Q. S.027.0861 K9628di

Weatherford, Carole Boston
Illustrated by: Eric Velasquez
Schomburg: The Man Who Built a Library. 2017. Juvenile Nonfiction.
Arturo Schomburg may have been a mail clerk by day, but in his free time, he was collecting untold stories and histories. Schomburg had long believed the history of Africa and African-Americans had been hidden away and whitewashed, so, seeking to fix this himself, he began to collect a vast number of materials on African writers, poets, revolutionaries, and visionaries. His work resulted in a comprehensive collection that was ultimately donated to the New York Public Library; its legacy is carried on today through the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. This book is told through a series of poems, making it engaging and unique for anyone hoping to learn more about libraries this April.
Q. SB. S369w

MG

Let’s Get Metafictional

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In literary terminology “metafiction” is the word used to describe works that show the audience that they are aware of themselves as a created work. Often this is done by characters interacting with the reader or the author or by characters changing the path of the work. Sounds pretty complicated for kid’s books, you say? Why no, I say! Playing with metafictional conceits in children’s books can lead to some very fun and funny concept books that can cause kids to think about the relationship between reality and fiction and between authors and characters. Picture books in particular can quite literally illustrate these ideas by letting characters change the work seemingly in opposition to the author or giving them agency outside the intended storyline. Below are listed some of the library’s picture books and intermediate and young adult fiction that use metafictional devices to create their stories. To find more metafictional children’s books, try the database Novelist from the library’s Online Journals and Databases page and search under the subjects tab for the term “Metafiction.”

Picture Books

Ahlberg, Allan.
The Pencil. 2008.
A lonely pencil timidly draws a boy, a dog, and other items but soon faces a problem as his creations begin demanding changes, and when he draws an eraser to make them happy, the real trouble begins.
[SSHEL S-Collection and Center for Children’s Books SE. Ah47pe]

Bingham, Kelly.
Z is for Moose. 2012.
Moose, terribly eager to play his part in the alphabet book his friend Zebra is putting together, then awfully disappointed when his letter passes, behaves rather badly until Zebra finds a spot for him.
[SSHEL S-Collection and Center for Children’s Books Q. SE. B531z]

Browne, Anthony.
Bear Hunt. 1980.
Hunters after a bear are constantly outwitted as Bear takes his pencil and draws his way out of each situation.
[SSHEL S-Collection SE. B8162b]

Cabatingan, Erin.
Musk Ox Counts. 2013.
Musk Ox and Zebra are trying to make it through a counting book. As usual, Musk Ox has his own ideas and Zebra does not fail to show his frustration trying to get Musk Ox back on track. Will they make it from 1-10, or will their efforts end in annoyance?
[SSHEL S-Collection Q. SE. C1116m]

Freedman, Deborah.
Blue Chicken. 2011.
An enterprising chicken attempts to help an artist paint the barnyard and accidentally turns the whole picture blue.
[SSHEL S-Collection SE. F875b]

Johnson, Crockett.
Harold and the Purple Crayon. 1955.
Harold goes for an adventurous walk in the moonlight with his purple crayon. Armed only with an oversized purple crayon, young Harold draws himself a landscape full of wonder and excitement.
[SSHEL S-Collection SE. J62h]

Lehman, Barbara.
The Red Book. 2004.
A book about a book, a magical red book, without any words, and the friendship that develops around it.
[SSHEL S-Collection and Center for Children’s Books SE. L528r]

McKinlay, Meg.
No Bears. 2011.
Ella is in charge of this book, and she will tell you something right now. There are NO BEARS in it. Not even one.
[SSHEL S-Collection and Center for Children’s Books SE. M2145n]

Schwarz, Viviane.
There Are No Cats in This Book. 2010.
Filled with the spirit of adventure, three cats pack their suitcases and try to escape from their book.
[RBML Oak Street and Center for Children’s Books SE. Sch966th]

Scieszka, Jon.
The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales. 1992.
Madcap revisions of familiar fairy tales.
[SSHEL S-Collection and Center for Children’s Books SE. SCI27s]

Stone, Jon.
The Monster at the End of This Book. 2004.
Grover worries page by page about meeting the monster at the end of this book. Generations of kids have interacted with lovable, furry old Grover as he begs the reader not to turn the page-for fear of a monster at the end of the book. “Oh, I am so embarrassed,” he says on the last page … for, of course, the monster is Grover himself!
[Center for Children’s Books SE. St717m]

Van Allsburg, Chris.
Bad Day at Riverbend. 1995.
When Sheriff Hardy investigates the source of a brilliant light and shiny slime afflicting Riverbend, he finds that the village is part of a child’s coloring book streaked with greasy crayons.
[SSHEL S-Collection and Center for Children’s Books Q. SE. V263ba]

Watt, Melanie.
Chester. 2007.
Chester is more than a picture book. It is a story told, and retold, by dueling author-illustrators. M’lanie Watt starts out with the story of a mouse in a house. Then M’lanie’s cat, Chester, sends the mouse packing and proceeds to cover the pages with rewrites from his red marker, and the gloves are off.
[SSHEL S-Collection Q. SE. W341c and Center for Children’s Books S. W34c]

Watt, Melanie.
You’re Finally Here! 2011.
A rabbit has many questions involving where a friend has been and why it took so much time for the friend to appear.
[SSHEL S-Collection Q. SE. W341y]

Wiesner, David.
The Three Pigs. 2001.
The three pigs escape the wolf by going into another world where they meet the cat and the fiddle, the cow that jumped over the moon, and a dragon.
[SSHEL S-Collection and Center for Children’s Books Q. SE. W6373th]

Willems, Mo.
We Are in a Book! 2010.
Gerald and Piggie discover the joy of being read. But what will happen when the book ends?
[SSHEL S-Collection and Center for Children’s Books SE. W667w]

Intermediate and Young Adult Fiction

Bosch, Pseudonymous.
The Name of This Books Is Secret. 2007.
Two eleven-year-old misfits try to solve the mystery of a dead magician and stop the evil Dr. L and Ms. Mauvais, who are searching for the secret of immortality.
[SSHEL S-Collection S. B6507n]

Ende, Michael.
The Neverending Story. 1983.
Shy, awkward Bastian is amazed to discover that he has become a character in the mysterious book he is reading and that he has an important mission to fulfill.
[Undergrad PT2665.N27 U513 1983 and Center for Children’s Books 835 EN21OU:E]

Griffiths, Andy.
The 13-Story Treehouse. 2013.
Who wouldn’t want to live in a treehouse? Especially a 13-story treehouse that has a bowling alley, a tank full of sharks, a library full of comics, and a secret underground laboratory. Life would be perfect for Andy and Terry if it wasn’t for the fact that they have to write their next book, which is almost impossible because there are just so many distractions, including thirteen flying cats, giant bananas, mermaids, a sea monsters pretending to be mermaids, and dangerous burp gas-bubblegum bubbles!
[SSHEL S-Collection S. G8757t]

McCaughrean, Geraldine.
A Pack of Lies: Twelve Stories in One. 1988.
MCC Berkshire tells an extraordinary story about every item he sells from Ailsa’s mother’s shop. When he walks off into the sunset, Ailsa wonders whether his stories were real or were they a pack of lies?
[SSHEL Oak Street and Center for Children’s Books S. M128pa]

Park, Linda Sue.
Project Mulberry. 2005.
While working on a project for an after-school club, Julia, a Korean American girl, and her friend Patrick learn not just about silkworms, but also about tolerance, prejudice, friendship, patience, and more. Between the chapters are short dialogues between the author and main character about the writing of the book.
[SSHEL S-Collection and Center for Children’s Books S. P2191p]

Townley, Rod.
The Great Good Thing. 2001.
Nothing ever changes inside the storybook kingdom inhabited by twelve-year-old Princess Sylvie, her parents, and many other characters until Sylvie discovers that by allying herself with the Reader she can experience new adventures beyond the confines of the book.
[SSHEL S-Collection S. T662g]

Willingham, Bill.
Down the Mysterly River. 2011.
Top notch Boy Scout Max “the Wolf” cannot remember how he came to be in a strange forest, but soon he and three talking animals are on the run from the Blue Cutters, hunters who will alter the foursome’s very essence if they can catch them.
[Center for Children’s Books S. W6782d]

Prepared by:
Anna Logan
Graduate Student
Graduate School of Library and Information Science
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign