Best Book to Read Book

THE LITTLE BOY who loves to read is back, and this time he and his classmates are visiting a big public library! In their signature catchy, rhyming verse, Debbie Bertram and Susan Bloom give readers a taste of the variety of books that can be found at the library. Michael Garland’s bright, graphic illustrations bring to life the array of fantastic and hilarious scenes that can result from finding the best book to read!

Children's Literature

It is time for the class trip to the library. Having already elaborated on The Best Place to Read and The Best Time to Read, the creators of those books now take us along to find the best book. In rhythmic verses the librarian welcomes the students, then introduces them to some exciting book possibilities on subjects like outer space, knights and dragons, bug collecting, dessert recipes, dinosaurs, dogs, and magic tricks. The children then line up for library cards, having chosen their books. Back on the bus they go, recalling, " a good book is a friend./ Now we all have the best book to read!" Garland's characters have large, round, almost toy-like heads. They serve as an attractive audience for the book talks. Full-page illustrations from the books discussed add considerably, as do the author's names: Lance O'Lot for one about knights; Professor Barker about training dogs, Rocky Rocket's Blast Off, Harry Huckster's magic tricks. The illustrations are detailed: the bugs look like photographs, the dragon's many scales are daunting, dogs and rabbits have a three-dimensional quality. Silhouettes of storybook characters march across the end pages. The slight story may be a bit pedantic but the visuals are worth investigating. Reviewer: Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz