Published: 1st July 2024
Publisher: Scholastic Australia
Illustrator: Heath McKenzie
Pages: 32
Format: Picture Book
★ ★ – 2 Stars
Initially I thought this book was about going to visit a library and borrowing books, and it is, but it is told from the perspective of a single book. It’s a first person narration too which is ok, if not a bit weird.
The little book waits impatiently as they wait to be chosen from the shelf, disappointed as other books around them are chosen. When finally selected they go on a chaotic journey back home, all with the dream of being read in a cosy bed at night.
I was going to mention the horror at mentioning a child trying to touch a book with chocolate covered hands, but then I kept reading and realised it was going to get much worse.
I am always fascinated by these books normalising books going home from the library and being stained, drawn on, or covered in food. I get that there can be some rough times, torn pages, and yes ok, a scribble or two. But please can we start promoting that library books are for everyone, and you spilling spaghetti sauce all over it isn’t funny, because now that is going to be unable to be borrowed by someone else?
Since this book is about sentient books and their perspectives, it should be sadder that now it’s going to be recycled and never borrowed again because this curly red headed child doesn’t know how to look after things that belong to other people.
But in the magic picture book world the book is returned unharmed despite a lot of near misses (somehow being fine despite the spaghetti sauce???) and returned on the shelf ready for another exciting library day.
Cranky librarian aside, it is fun story about the poor book having a rough time before finally getting read. If you look at it from that perspective it could be funny. But that doesn’t fix there isn’t a lot of story to hold onto. There are other books that talk about the experience of library books that still talk about the chaos of going home while being a bit more interesting and engaging.
McKenzie’s illustrations are nice and colourful. Full page spreads that bring Grasso’s words to life, interacting with the text in fun onomatopoeic ways.
It was an ok read, not quite what I thought but a fun adventure of your library experience from the perspective of the books you take out.
You can purchase Hooray, Hooray! It’s Library Day via the following
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