Book's Big Adventure

December 7, 2020
When Book is shiny and new, it claims a prominent space on the public library’s display table, and everyone wants to check it out. But after “many adventures,” Book’s previously glowing red cover shows wear and tear, and the volume is moved to “a lower, less friendly shelf” where it watches other books that move through circulation—those with “knights or princesses, fancy cars, or fast trains.” There’s a happy ending in store for Book: it’s donated to a giveaway and quickly picked up by a brown-skinned child, who cherishes it. But so many pages are dedicated to Book’s decline and pathos—“Book was lonely. Forgotten. It wondered if its travels were over,” writes Lehrhaupt (Sloth Went)—that readers may find the story arc more about pity than redemption. But Bell’s (Baby’s Opposites) softly lit and textured digital illustrations vividly evoke both a strong sense of place and the pull of the printed page throughout: kids are seen reading in bed, in a tent, even at a basketball game. And she makes the library where Book gets its start so real and welcoming that readers will want to head there themselves. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Alexandra Penfold, Upstart Crow. Illustrator’s agent: Christy Ewers, the CAT Agency.

December 1, 2020
Go on an adventure with a book that's known many readers. Meet Book: a red, nongendered...well, book readers meet at first as a new release that's been placed prominently on a shelf in a public library, a spot that affords Book the opportunity to meet lots of young readers and visit lots of places. After some time (and several reads), however, Book's cover is faded, and it's relocated to "a lower, less friendly shelf." Yikes! It's a rough life. Thankfully, things improve for Book once it's withdrawn from the library and is donated to a book giveaway. There, Book is discovered by a new reader who loves the little page-turner and takes it on a series of adventures that mirror Book's early days. This time, though, the journey ends happily, as Book is valued on a personal bookshelf as a favorite story. The story is mildly amusing and enhanced greatly by Bell's illustrations, which give Book an expressive face and surround it with diverse human readers. But it's hard to see a child audience for this sentimental tale, though it may make librarians weep tears for favorites that have (sadly) gone out of print. An author's note extols book-donation projects and lists a few destinations for books that may have fallen out of use in readers' homes. Still, as a story, it's more a yawn than an adventure. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-17-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.) Hardly top-of-the-pile. (Picture book. 6-10)

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