The Liebrary

PreS-Gr 2– This upbeat story in tidy rhyme introduces siblings Mikayla and Drew as they visit the library, only to discover that the books they checked out are full of falsehoods. Still, their dad declares, if it is in a book it must be true. So begin the high jinks that result from following the advice of the books: allowing a six-year-old to drive a car, eating candy for breakfast, adopting a pet rhinoceros from the zoo, and more. Observant readers may spot the evil-looking bespectacled librarian peeking ominously through the curtain as the children depart his building. This character, along with the family, are depicted expressively in the loose illustrations that resemble the style of Jon Agee. The family discovers that they have been duped—they visited the “Lie-brary,” and then say, “Guess we can’t believe everything that we read.” It is unclear whether the authors are making a statement about checking one’s sources, or if the story is meant as mean-spirited amusement.