Book! Book! Book!

Booksellers and librarians and schoolteachers are some of the folks I know who can be reasonably counted upon to love a book about books.  I feel that way about collections of essays and novels and, of course, picture books.  So it stands to reason that I was bonkers for Book! Book! Book! by Deborah Bruss when it came out in 2001.  The good news: it's an adorable, funny book about books.  The bad news: it's no longer in print.  Man.  I hate it when that happens.

But I'm equal opportunity around here, and I like to feature some out of print titles we love, just in case you find them at a thrift store or yard sale and want to check them out.  

The story is this:  the children have gone back to school, and the animals are bored.  They make their way into town to look for something to do, and end up at the library.  The hen, horse, cow, goat, duck and pig note that the folks exiting the library look happy, so they decide this is the place to settle.  Each animal wanders in the library and asks politely for something to do, but the poor librarian doesn't understand neighs, moos, baahs or oinks.  The hen takes matters into her own hands.  

Up flapped the hen, and she announced, "I am going in, and no one is going to stop me!" Into the library she flapped.  "Book!" clucked the hen politely. The librarian looked around and said, "What's that noise?" "Book!  BOOK!"clucked the hen.

Maybe it's corny, but DD laughs and laughs when the librarian understands the clucking of the hen.  But understand she does, and the kind librarian selects three books for the hen.  Triumphant, the animals head back to the farm, bearing the world's best cure for boredom.

They spend a wonderful evening, gathered around the books and expressing delight with all of their different animal sounds.  Except for the bullfrog.  

And do you know what he said? "I already read it! Read it, read it, read it..."

Teep is a little too young to "get it", but DD is really going through a joke phase, and he cracks up every time.  Both boys enjoy the soft pictures and animal sounds. Speaking of animal sounds, DD first learned what each animal says from Eric Carle's  The Very Busy Spider, so don't discount a good story as a way to learn.

Off to read some book!book!books! around here.