Surprise! We librarians REALLY love books (almost more than cats) and so when we come across a book about books?! Well, we do a little happy dance. Here are a few good ones we’ve added to the collection recently:
Once upon a book by Grace Lin (picture book; ages 4–8)
It’s a cold winter’s day and Alice is bored. A book beckons her (quite literally) into its pages, and she climbs inside and becomes part of the unfolding story. A book that celebrates the joy of reading and the ability of books to transport us into other worlds.
This book is banned by Raj Haldar (picture book; ages 4-8)
This funny and thought-provoking book explores the issue of book banning. The story begins with the hippos’ complaint that the giraffes are getting all the leaves, which results in them getting removed from the story. When replacements are sought each are banned in turn, for example, an avocado is banned for being gross, while a roller-skating robot is banned for being too dangerous. The book ends with the message that even if a book isn’t right for you, it could still be perfect for someone else.
Books make good friends by Jane Mount (sophisticated picture book; ages 6-10)
Ha, it is no surprise to see that many of our librarian friends have this beautiful book issued! It tells the story of Lotti, who prefers the company of books to people and finds making friends hard. Through the stories she reads, she finds joy and connection with the people around her. What makes this book extra special, is the book spine art on every page, which provides a bunch of recommended reads.
How this book got red by Margaret Chiu Greanias (picture book; ages 4-8)
Adorable panda friends Red (a red panda) and Gee (a giant panda) eagerly read a book about pandas. But Red’s excitement soon turns to disappointment when she realises that there are no red pandas in the book! Red never sees books about red pandas and so determined to change this, sets out to write her own book! The theme here – the importance of representation and diversity in children’s literature, is most definitely one close to our librarian heart.
The book that no one wanted to read by Richard Ayoade (chapter book; ages 8-12)
A book, where the narrator is…the book itself! Initially, a cranky, opinionated, and repressed sort, the book begins to loosen and open-up when it starts to chat with you – the reader. A quirky, humorous read that includes diagrams, graphs, cartoons, and lots of book facts.
This guest blog post was prepared by Stephanie, Library Specialist – Collections in charge of buying for the children’s collection.