You won’t want to miss reading about All the Books, written by Hayley Rocco and illustrated by Caldecott Honoree John Rocco. Enjoy!
It is hard for Dr. Toughlove to imagine her life without public libraries. Dr. Toughlove began her love for libraries at the Bookmobile parked near her home at a very young age, and has embraced libraries and books ever since. So, with the end of the school year approaching and Summer Reading Programs about to begin, Dr. Toughlove thought it would be an ideal time to review a book entitled “All The Books”, written by Hayley Rocco and illustrated by Caldecott Honoree John Rocco.
The protagonist, Piper (who happens to be a chipmunk), LOVES books. She LOVES books so much that she reads all the time, never shares her books, and brings them with her everywhere. As her collection grew (she started out dragging her books in a red wagon), her mode of transportation got bigger and more cumbersome. As luck would have it, her overloaded bicycle and wagon were filled to the brim, and while cycling down a hill, her books fell to the ground in a heap. To make matters worse, it began to rain……….so you can just imagine what happened to her book collection.
Dr. Toughlove doesn’t want to give the story away, but let it suffice to say that a kindly mole/librarian introduced Piper to the wonders of the library. John Rocco’s illustrations depict a quintessential library with high book shelves, library ladders, big windows, library lamps, a globe, rocking chairs and of course a kindly librarian to help find books.
One of the important messages in “All The Books” is the power of having access to a large array of books through a public library system. While Piper had her own book collection, which certainly has merit, the public library provides an expanded array of titles to study and explore. The notion that the knowledge contained in these books belongs to and benefits everyone is embedded in “All The Books” in an age-appropriate manner. Adults who read this book to children have the opportunity to reinforce these ideas by not only reading the words but by discussing these concepts.
“All The Books” is perfect for children, aged 4-8 years, but Dr. Toughlove believes that adults will enjoy this story as much as the youngsters do. It is available at your local library.