Lost in the Library

June 25, 2018
Patience and Fortitude, the iconic lion statues that reside in front of the New York Public Library, star in this rhyming hide-and-seek adventure. When Fortitude awakens around dawn one morning and discovers that his story-loving counterpart isn’t on his plinth, he ventures for the first time into “the Library’s grand labyrinth.” His search takes him to many of the NYPL’s most celebrated features—Astor Hall, the Rose Main Reading Room, and the children’s center—with help from an assortment of library denizens. (A page at the end of the book offers further information about many of these sights.) The hunt becomes urgent as sunrise approaches, but the two lions eventually make it back to their usual posts, leaving Fortitude to reflect on the library’s surprises. With a natural, if almost too consistent read-aloud rhythm and accurate, earth-toned illustrations by Lewis (Prince & Knight), this work by Funk (Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast) is an ode to books, friendship, and a New York institution. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Kathleen Rushall, Andrea Brown Literary Agency.

July 1, 2018
When one of the marble lions guarding the main entrance to the New York Public Library goes AWOL, the other scampers off in pursuit.Seeing Patience's plinth unoccupied and dawn at hand, worried Fortitude steps off to track his longtime sidekick down in rigidly metric verse: "Patience told stories of ducklings and moons, / Of wardrobes and buttons and fun. / On cold snowy evenings or hot afternoons, / Fortitude cherished each one." The quest takes readers on a quick tour of the iconic building from the Astor Hall entrance to the lofty Rose Reading Room and then back to ground level, where the errant kitty is found at last in the Children's Center surrounded by open books. The lions make it back to their assigned places in time, but Fortitude is hooked: " 'Patience, ' he said, 'when there's no one around, / Tonight can we sneak in and read?' " The lions sport jutting jaws, à la Tony the Tiger, and anthropomorphic expressions, but Lewis endows the two with properly leonine manes. Along with depicting the library's decorations and architectural details with reasonable fidelity (though nowhere is there even a glimpse of a computer), she includes recognizable images from several classic picture books. According to an unobtrusive note, the Children's Center is scheduled to move to another building in 2020, so notwithstanding the multiple literary references, this won't have a long shelf life as a guide for young visitors. Still, the iconic lions have greeted all comers since 1911 (though they weren't given their current names until the 1930s) and will continue to do so for many years to come.An inviting entree, if (not unlike the institution itself) a bit staid. (endnotes) (Picture book. 5-7)

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