Little Libraries, Big Heroes

Paul (Nine Months) frames her nonfiction account of Little Free Libraries as a story about ordinary heroes. After Todd Bol's librarian mother dies, he creates a small one-room schoolhouse on a stand and fills it with books to share her "love of reading with anyone who passed by." But no one notices until he explains it to his neighbors, after which the "little library became the center of their neighborhood." Bol's friend Rick Brooks helps him dream bigger: Parra (Hey, Wall) shows the two of them talking excitedly, angular figures on pages textured like woodblock prints. They build many of the structures and, when they can't sell them, install them all over the upper Midwest. Now there are hundreds, all over the world. Paul writes of the way Bol's mother encouraged him as a child ("You could do anything," she tells him in the story's opening pages, a warm smile on her face) and finishes by nudging readers: "Tomorrow might bring another hero story, written by YOU." The way the text traces Bol's big idea back to its emotional source offers a path to heroes literary and ordinary both. Ages 4-7. Author's agent: Karen Grencik, Red Fox Literary. Illustrator's agent: Adriana Dominguez and Stefanie Sanchez Von Borstel, Full Circle Literary. (Sept.)

Gr 1-4--When he was young, Todd's mom, a teacher, shared her love and enthusiasm for books with him and the children in their neighborhood. When she died, adult Todd got an idea. "He cut up an old door and hammered the pieces together to make a tiny one-room schoolhouse. He stacked books inside...and placed the little library on his lawn. Now he could share his mother's love of reading with anyone who passed by." A neighborhood rummage sale was the spark that got his neighbors to notice the little library, and it became the center of the community. Todd told his friend Rick Brooks, and they worked together to bring their idea to life. Eventually, they planted 30 little libraries across the Midwest. The media spread the word, and Little Free Libraries sprouted all over the U.S. and other countries, including Ireland, Pakistan, South Korea, and South Sudan. An author's note provides more background information and celebrates the creators of these libraries. "Building materials have included an old TV set, a telephone booth, newspaper vending machines, a medicine cabinet, a mini-refrigerator, electronic waste, Lego bricks, and even a large block of ice!" VERDICT The childlike acrylic illustrations and engaging text make this title accessible to young readers, but the story will appeal to and inspire all ages to join the movement. An important book recognizing a true everyday hero.--Barbara Auerbach, Cairo Public Library, NY