Shhhh, It's A Library! Book Reviews

We've joined the library! We all went off, bundled up against the growing October Cold, the boys and Sean on their bikes, though they sensibly parked outside and didn't ride upon the bookshelves. Chas DID borrow a book on BMX bikes, full of technical stuff, since our latest thing apparently is BIKES! Bikes for independence, bikes for speed and stunts.

But we are not here for bike talk. We're here to talk about books, dear readers. A review of last night's bedtime stories:

The Boy with Two Shadows (Picture Lions), about a boy who takes great care of his shadow and ends up having to babysit the naughty shadow of a witch!


"When The Library Lights Go Out", Megan McDonald and Katherine Tillotson. Library puppets have an after-hours adventure! This was a great first story for us, new as we are to the library.

"Sir Gawain And The Green Knight", the classic story retold by Michael Morpurgo. Beautiful watercolour illustrations by Michael Foreman. We love many of Morpurgo's books, they are usually well written, boy-friendly and adventurous. So far, the Green Knight does not disappoint. Did I mention the illustrations? Lovely borders, too. I am such a sucker for good illustration. Looking forward to a chapter a night of this one.

I borrowed books on being a working mum in the UK, acing interviews and other such boring stuff. The boys borrowed over twenty books, and I'll let you know how they go as we read them.

The library was cozy, and the librarian said that it's one of the smaller branches. Our cards permit us to use any library in the area, and there are twelve, so once we've read our way through our little neighbourhood library we can move on to the larger ones. Chas can pop in on his way home from school. Free internet, homework groups, audio books, and it hasn't cost us a thing. Yay library!

(shhhhh!)

Comments

Unknown said…
I wonder how many of your neighbours (not the 'English' spelling) appreciate the library as much as you and your family do? They, after all, haven't lived in Trinidad and had to deal with the dearth of books - good books- that exists there.
Unknown said…
The word is "note" not 'not'. NOTE the English spelling. Sheesh.
Anonymous said…
I am a sucker for a book with good illustrations. It sells me everytime. I hoard them, even though the girls have outgrown them ages ago. Sometimes I wonder who I bought them for to begin with.
Photos slay me too. I remember being really young and spending hours just looking at the pictures in all of my mom's books on cooking and gardening. National Geographic was euphoric, my grandfather had a serious collection of those from when there was just a yellow frame on the cover.
Ohhhhh..how I envy you in the Land of Libraries...
But then... it is Divali in Trinidad tomorrow and our little island will be aglow, food will abound, love and friendship will permeate every nook and cranny as all classes, races and religions in our teensy corner of the world are joined together by the primeval pull of the flame...
so maybe I'll envy you the following day instead...

:)

Vicki
Anonymous said…
P.S.

Those National Geographics....they're MINE now....NEAHAAHAHAAAAAAAAA!!!!

;)

Vicki
Anonymous said…
Mmmm...libraries are among my very favorite places. Glad the one there did not disappoint.
Anonymous said…
I remember the first time I took the kids into a library after years in Mauritania. "WHOA!" they all shouted. "LOOK AT ALL THESE BOOKS!!!" It was a small branch library. They were in awe. The librarian was nice and understanding, but we were only there for the summer and didn't get cards. They had a blast checking out piles of books when we were in the US for a whole entire year. :)
Nan Sheppard said…
Lou, the library was pretty busy, especially considering it is the smallest in the neighbourhood...

Anonymous, AAAARGH! I so love Divali. Missing it. From time to time, Mum threatens to give away a few hundred National Geographics, which have been read, re-read, re-read....

The librarian was tickled by the boys' reaction too. They hunkered down and tried to read ALLLL of the books! I kept trying to explain that we could go back any time, and take the books home with us. It's a new concept!
.....so a blonde walks into a library and asks the librarian for a cheeseburger and fries!......... stunned, the librarian retorts
" young woman, can't you see that this is a library?"
....embarassed the blonde aplogises and whispers "I'd like to have a cheeseburger and fries"!!!!!!!!!
I love the library. And I love, even more, that my boys love the library.
Islandgirl said…
as a teen I'd spend many hours sitting on the floor between the shelves of books in our school library reading and reading and reading in my 'free periods' and after school. As an adult I'm always still on the lookout for a good book..on the Sheppard bookshelves, on the bookshelf at the top of the stairs at crown point hotel where people leave behind their holiday books (got a copy of 'The Chrysalids' there, on visits to elderly friends who have the COOLEST books and on the odd occasion I come across a gem at the Couva library. (Nan remember when they said they don't accept book donations! huumpfh!) I figure if I was stranded on an island with a cave full of interesting books I'd be pretty happy. Can't imagine life without them.
i had to link this to my library blog.