The Night Library
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- $6.99
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- $6.99
Publisher Description
The Polar Express meets The Night at the Museum in this fantastical picture-book adventure about the magic of books and libraries, perfect for book lovers of all ages!
After a young boy goes to sleep upset that he's getting a book for his birthday, he's visited in the night by Patience and Fortitude, the two stone lions who guard the New York Public Library. Soon, he's magically whisked away from his cozy home in the Bronx, and the two mighty lions show him the wonder of the library. There, the inquisitive Latino boy discovers the power of books and their role not only in his own life, but also in the lives of the people he loves.
Raul Colon's gorgeous, rich art creates an immersive world in this book about books, which is sure to capture the imaginations of kids and adults and inspire them to grab their library cards and dive into the worlds of stories.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Zeltser (Stinker) and Col n (Imagine!) contribute to the shelf of stories about the New York Public Library's famous lions, Patience and Fortitude. A boy wakes in the middle of the night before his eighth birthday, disappointed at his parents' birthday present, a book: "My parents knew that I liked toys, games, and movies not books." He hears a "deep purring" outside, and a majestic marble lion appears outside his window and invites him to come and "meet Patience." At the great library, the boy is greeted by flying books that take the shapes of picture book characters the boy recalls from readaloud sessions with his grandfather, whose death he still mourns. Handsome, clearly drafted drawings by Col n succeed in making the book formations recognizable as Peter Rabbit, the Cat in the Hat, and the Polar Express. Predictably, the dream rekindles the boy's interest in reading. The first-person narration can sound more like an adult writer's than a boy's ("Fortitude turned and regarded me, eyes twinkling"), and extolling the value of books is a well-trod message, though Zeltser's tale, and Col n's renderings of the library's magnificent rooms, may well prompt its neighbors to plan a visit. Ages 3 7.
