When the Library Lights Go Out Book

CLOSED may mean "closed" to you. But for three story-hour puppets, CLOSED means "open for adventure."

At first there are only Rabbit and Lion. Hermit Crab is missing. Where can she be in the library darkness? Find out for yourself when — magically — only puppets are up and about.

Karen Leggett - Children's Literature

When the library lights go out, the stuffed animals in the lost-and-found box come alive. While it is not an original idea to find toys awakening when everyone else is asleep, a library is an unusual setting. A floppy-eared rabbit and a friendly lion set out hand in hand to find their lost friend, the hermit crab. Fearing a giant around every corner, they suspect the potted plant is the giant's beanstalk and the blue rug is his bathtub. When the friendly pair rips a map that was supposed to tell them how to go home, they do not despair but turn the paper scraps into a hat and a boat. At last they find their friend and feast together on a leftover lunch. There is a lot for young minds to absorb here about imagination, looking out for friends, and not getting too scared of the unknown. The illustrations are a delight—young readers might think the soft folds of the stuffed animals could roll right off the page into their arms. It is a perfect bedtime story but also just right for a preschool storytime to make the library seem a very cozy place indeed. 2005, Atheneum, Ages 3 to 6.