The New Libearian by Alison Donald and Alex Willmore
| The New Libearian by Alison Donald and Alex Willmore | |
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| Category: For Sharing | |
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Reviewer: Sam Tyler
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| Summary: Something is amiss in the Library as the new member of staff seems a bit hairy. Can the children discover what is happening in this tour of a magical Library that captures the wonder of all those books housed in one place. | |
| Buy? Maybe | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 32 | Date: August 2016 |
| Publisher: Maverick Arts Publishing | |
| ISBN: 9781848862234 | |
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For a job that often deals with words, Librarian is not an easy thing to spell. I often drop one of the Rs and end up with Libarian and that just will not do. One simple spelling mistake can make a word take on a whole new meaning; what would possibly happen if you spelt it Libearian? Is it a mistype, or does the person behind the Help Desk look a little hairy to you? What big paws you have Libearian – all the better to stamp your books with.
The children are all sitting patiently in the Library for Story Time, but there is no sign of the Librarian. Where could she have gone? The children search through the magical world of books, only to stumble across what looks like a new Librarian, but what an odd creature they are. Can the children convince this new member of staff to read them a story?
Story Time is a great institution found in many Public Libraries – the ones that are still open anyway. Writing a book that is perfect for Story Time is not easy, but writing one that is actually set during a Story Time is even more complex! However, this is the task that Alison Donald set herself in The New Libearian and it works wonderfully. This is not the Library that we as adults see, but the one that we saw as children. I remember thinking of my local Village Library as a magical place full of new adventures that all want to be read and Donald taps into this.
The book starts off as an exploration of the imagination as the children seek the new Librarian. Each book section reflects the shelves e.g. fantasy, underwater, pirates or space. It is not until later in the book that we actually meet the Bear. The pacing is perhaps a little off as it does take a while for anything to really happen, but at least the journey there is a pleasant one. Once the children find the new member of staff, Donald pulls off another impressive trick by mixing the magic of books with the bear they have just found. Where could this Baby Bear have possibly come from?
For the magical world of Donald's imagination to work, Alex Willmore needed to be on top form to illustrate it. Thankfully, the pictures look lovely. The shelves are packed with books and Willmore is able to have magical items floating around the stacks. The Bear himself is also very cute, which is important as that part of the story may have proved scary.
For any fan of their local Library, be they big person or small person, Libearian captures some of the sense of wonder you get when you stop to think exactly how much there is to read in front of you. Ironically, due to the slightly slower start to the book it may not grip in a large group setting like Story Time. The start of the book is best shared with a parent and child, it is not until the latter pages that the story is released and a wonderful twist ending leaves you satisfied.
Bears and Librarians seems to be universal themes when it comes to kid's books. Try Bob the Bursting Bear by Michael Rosen and Tony Ross or How the Library (Not the Prince) Saved Rapunzel by Wendy Meddour and Rebecca Ashdown.
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You can read more book reviews or buy The New Libearian by Alison Donald and Alex Willmore at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy The New Libearian by Alison Donald and Alex Willmore at Amazon.com.
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