Curious George: Librarian for a Day. by Julie Tibbott, based on the teleplay by Scott Gray. Date published. HMH Books. 24 pages. ISBN: 9780547852812Curious George: Librarian For a Day is a Level 1 easy reader, whose back cover recommends it for Grade 2, Ages 5-7, and Guided Reading Level J. (How is that level 1? I am not sure.) I decided to read it only because of the library theme, half-expecting there to be some gross stereotypes or inaccuracies in the text. As it turns out, this book isn’t half bad. The story line is typical of a Curious George story. A well-meaning adult - in this case, a librarian named Mrs. Dewey dressed in sweater vest and brooch - leaves George unattended in a position of authority, and chaos ensues. George is left in charge of the library when Mrs. Dewey must run (literally - see below) to her book club meeting. Since he has no experience with libraries, he starts making silly decisions about how to shelve the books. “Would the books be easier to find if they were sorted by color?” George wonders. What about size? Finally, a smart library patron sets him straight, explaining that books in libraries are arranged by subject . By the time Mrs. Dewey returns, everything is back where it belongs and she is never the wiser.
This book made me laugh because there have been so many instances in my library career when people have asked me to locate a book by color, or by size, or by the cover illustration. I couldn’t find out too much about Scott Gray, the writer of the teleplay on which this book is based, but I’d be willing to bet he has either worked in a library or knows some librarians, because he understands our frustrations. I also thought it was hilarious for some reason that the librarian character literally takes off sprinting when she realizes her book club needs her. I can’t imagine what would be so urgent in a book club meeting that would require the librarian to run for her life, but the image made me instantly compare the librarian to a superhero, which can only be a good thing.
I keep saying I dislike media tie-ins, and I do, because I think they’re often pretty bad. This one is a little different, because Curious George originated as a literary character and has his roots in literacy, not marketing for toys or television. I also appreciate the fact that this book tries to teach something important - information literacy - at the most basic level for the youngest kids. Kids - especially reluctant readers - are sometimes more receptive to information like this when it’s presented by a character they already know and love.
Curious George: Librarian for a Day is engaging, informative, colorful, and fun. It will make a great supplement to information literacy classes for Pre-K, Kindergarten, and First Grade. Keep it in mind for National Library Week this year!
I borrowed Curious George: Librarian for a Day from my local public library.
For more about this book, visit Goodreads and Worldcat.
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