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Lendler, Ian

Nia and the New Free Library

40 pp. | Chronicle | June, 2021 | Trade ISBN 978-1-4521-6686-5 $18.99
(2) K-3 Illustrated by Mark Pett. Before a tornado carried it away, the Littletown Library "...was there so long...that people stopped paying attention." With the library razed, community members propose filling the space with a skyscraper or a parking lot. Only young Nia suggests rebuilding the library. The adults counter with objections of cost, lack of use, and lack of need, so Nia decides to show them the value of a library. She begins writing and circulating her own books with vaguely familiar titles (e.g., "Where the Mild Things Roam") and tricks everyone else into doing the same. Bright cartoon art shows the piles of books growing along with the community's investment in the collection. Eventually, they build walls to protect it, and before long, the community has resurrected the library after all, one that they enjoy and use. Loosely tied to the "Stone Soup" tale where individuals give what they have to create something better for everyone, this book offers plenty of comical moments to enjoy in the exaggerated pictures, including a final spread showing another tornado, this time carrying off the school. That a library is a vibrant, welcoming space that truly belongs to its community is a valuable and meaningful message.
Reviewer: Julie Roach

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