School Library Journal Review

PreS-Gr 2-When Lily learns to read, her mother brings her to the library and gets her a library card. After that, there's no stopping her. She reads all the time-under the covers, during dinner, even while brushing her teeth. She reads through the seasons, having vicarious literary adventures until her mom suggests she have a real adventure in the park. At the park, Lily meets Milly who declares that she hates reading, and much prefers "playing, climbing, [and] exploring." Despite their differences, the girls become friends and have a wonderful time with and without books, learning about the world and using their imaginations. They remain friends and grow up to have bigger and better adventures, which "Lily wrote down.in the most marvelous, magical, amazing, PERFECT BOOK!" Strings and woodwinds play a lighthearted musical theme in the background, which varies in speed and mood to reflect the action. The female narrator effectively conveys the humor and excitement of Shields's story (Eerdmans, 2011). When the text quotes from a book Lily is reading, the narrative tone becomes lofty and magical, taking listeners to another world, just as Lily herself is transported. Page-turn signals are optional. The large format book features Francesca Chessa's illustrations filled with chunky, vibrant color. Lily's love of reading is bound to be contagious.-Barbara Auerbach, P.S. 217, Brooklyn, NY (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.