Beverly Billingsly Borrows a Book
by Alexander Stadler
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Book Summary Information
Author: Alexander StadlerEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2006-08-01
ISBN: 0152058036
Number of pages: 32
Publisher: Sandpiper
Book Reviews of Beverly Billingsly Borrows a Book
Book Review: Perfect introduction to libraries
Summary: 5 Stars
Young Beverly, a grey bearish kind of animal, is simply beside herself with pleasure at finally acquiring a library card of her very own. With the assistance of the bird-like librarian Mrs. Del Rubio, she checks out a book on dinosaurs. Beverly loves her selection, reading continuously throughout the week. When the due-date on her book passes, Beverly begins to panic. Her friends at school unhelpfully advise her that fines will almost certainly be assessed, "Oh, like a thousand dollars, I think" and one schoolmate even tells her that jailtime is a possibility.
After waking from a nightmare where she's threatened by a dinosaur (sporting red hair and cat eye glasses very similar to Mrs. Del Rubio's) growling, "Return meeeee! I am Beverly's mom reassures her that "Nobody ever went to jail for an overdue library book."
Happily, Mrs. Del Rubio is able to sort everything out, and Beverly meets Oliver, another dinosaur enthusiast at the library where they are able to start an after school Piedmont Dinosaur Club.
I love this book on so many different levels. First of all, it describes how libraries work and what to expect in very simple, relatable terms:
One must have a library card to check out books.
Getting a library card requires filling out a form.
It does not take very long to acquire a library card.
Books that are borrowed should be returned by the due date.
Late books will have fines.
Getting a fine on your library card is not an insurmountable problem.
Libraries can be used as a social space to meet with friends.
It explains all of that, but it is also really very humorous! The book is ideal for reading aloud. The gouache and ink illustrations take up most of the page and the heavily bolded outlines of the pictures make it easy for children to see, even from a distance. There's ample opportunity for using different voices for the various characters. The comic timing of the book is genius. Additionally, if one is running short on time, or faced with an antsy audience of preschoolers, the book can be ended a bit early, on the page where Beverly returns her book. If reading it with older groups of children, you can read all the way to the end where Beverly co-founds the Dinosaur Club.
Beverly's childlike blend of earnestness, enthusiasm and worry reminded me of the Frances books by Russell Hoban. Librarians everywhere should have this in their arsenal of sure-fire, crowd-pleasing picture books.
Summary of Beverly Billingsly Borrows a Book
One very special morning, Beverly Billingsly becomes a proud new card-carrying member of the Piedmont Public Library. But what happens when she forgets to return her book by its due date? Will Beverly ever be able to borrow another book?
Beverly Billingsly is terrified. She can't eat--not even chocolate cake. She can't sleep. What could be so horrific for the youngster? Her library book Dinosaurs of the Cretaceous Period--checked out using her very-first-ever library card--is overdue! Her friends aren't much help: Sheila tells Beverly she will probably owe about a thousand dollars in fines, and Carlton proclaims, "My mother's friend's cousin's brother was late with a library book, and he went to jail." Even in her dreams, a green triceratops warns, "Return me, Beverleeeeeee!" Needless to say, Beverly is quite relieved when the hip new librarian Mrs. Del Rubio dismisses her two-day-late book with a smile and gentle note of caution.
William Steig (Sylvester and the Magic Pebble) meets Lucy Cousins (of Maisy fame) in Alexander Stadler's completely charming picture-book tribute to libraries and the joy of reading. Early readers will relate to Beverly's voracious enjoyment of her chosen book as well as her overblown, stomach ache-inducing fears about the consequences of it being overdue. (Her gushed confession to her concerned mother goes as follows: "I have to return the book, and the dinosaur is mad at me, and Mrs. Del Rubio is going to take all my money, and I don't want to go to jail!")
The simple illustrations are expressive and winning--with fabulous characterizations of the not-so-helpful Carlton, hilarious depictions of imagined jail scenarios, and small-but-wonderful details like the book's due date, April 7, printed in red all over Beverly's pajamas during the "nightmare sequence." A fine addition to any young booklover's shelf. (Ages 3 to 7) --Karin Snelson
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