Librarians all cheer for this charming, witty, stereotype-bashing tall tale-like heroine, Library Lil, a passionate advocate of books and reading, but don't worry-kids love her, too. We meet her as a strong, book-toting tyke who, by age eight, had read all the books in the children's room and started in on the encyclopedias, checking out a set at a time. Balancing the huge stack on the palm of one hand, she'd walk down the street with the "A" volume in the other hand, while turning the pages with her teeth. Lil grows up to become a public librarian in Chesterville, where the townsfolk prefer to spend their spare time with the TV instead of a good book. After a big storm, when the power is out for two weeks, Lil uses her great strength to push the old bookmobile all over town, delivering books to the entertainment-starved locals, who devour them.

One day, a motorcycle gang, led by pool-hustling, TV wrestling-addicted Bust-'em 'up Bill, rides into the now book-loving town. He's no match for Lil, who not only can toss a motorcycle as if it were a mere apple core, but gets the gang reading, and captures the biker's heart. Kellogg's sunny pen and ink and watercolor illustrations are crammed with cheerful details that will make your listeners want to run right to the library to check out something great to read.

Prove how the love of reading can change your life with Tomás and the Library Lady by Pat Mora, illustrated by Raul Colón. Inspired by the childhood of Tomás Rivera, a former university chancellor in California, this heartwarming story reveals how an empathetic librarian helped a migrant worker's son nurture his love for books and knowledge at the library. Ask your listeners what was the turning point that made them like to read. Ask them to list and describe the activities and pastimes they love best of all, the ones worth nurturing, no matter the obstacles.

THEMES: BOOKMOBILES. BOOKS AND READING. LIBRARIANS. LIBRARIES. LITERACY. MOTORCYCLES. PICTURE BOOKS FOR ALL AGES. TALL TALES.

A READKIDDOREAD CLASSIC