Library Books Are Not for Eating!

PreS-Gr 2--This goofy romp combines such librarian-approved elements as dinosaurs, scads of books, and problem solving. Everyone loves Ms. Bronte at the school, but they wish she would stop eating the books! Nothing else seems to satisfy the bespectacled dinosaur's appetite, until she discovers the overgrown soccer field full of vegetation and puts a tasty end to both her own and the soccer coach's problems. The rhyming text scans well, though Tarpley sometimes prioritizes the meter over meaning: "We've got to rearrange your feeding./Library books are not for eating!" Booth creates playful and varied visuals, mixing up perspectives and pairing Ms. Bronte's long, swooping neck with diverse, round-faced kids--alternately agog and delighted by the librarian's transgressions. The exuberant digital illustrations and bouncy text propel readers through the tale and the repeated "Library books are NOT for eating!" will serve well in storytime. VERDICT Good fun for book-lovers, daffy dinosaur lovers, and those who enjoy a picture book in verse.--Robbin E. Friedman, Chappaqua Library, NY