Favourite books — Wild About Books
7 Apr 2008
A librarian mistakenly drives her bookmobile into a zoo. The result? A whole heap of animal and reading fun
As a primary school librarian, I’m always on the lookout for books that feature libraries and the fun of reading. My collection has been growing steadily, but Wild About Books by Judy Sierra, illustrated by Marc Brown (Frances Lincoln, ISBN 1845075269) is one of my favourites. The book has a rhyming story and vibrant pictures, and has a really positive message about reading and how there is a story for and in everyone. Molly McGrew is not a stereotypical librarian with a bun and glasses, but young and stylish with her yellow bookmobile and laptop. I often use the book as an introduction to library sessions with Year 2 pupils, because there is such a wealth of information and discussion points in the witty text.
Synopsis
‘It started the summer of 2002, When the Springfield librarian, Molly McGrew, By mistake drove her bookmobile into the zoo.’
The curious animals soon discover the delights of reading, especially when Molly can recommend books for them all. Some animals even start to write their own stories, and they end by building their own ‘Zoobrary’. Now, when you go to the zoo, you’ll find the animals ‘going wild, simply wild, about wonderful books!’
Talking points
- Do any of your children belong to the public library? Have they ever visited a mobile library? Do libraries just have books? What else can we find in libraries? Talk about how fiction and information books are shelved in a library and the role of librarians and library assistants.
- Ask the children if they have any favourite stories or authors. What sorts of things do they like reading about? Are there any books that they think the school library should have? What about information books, are there subjects or hobbies they’d like to find out about? Some famous stories are mentioned in the text – do the children know any of these? What other books are the animals reading?
- Talk about animals in zoos. What animals would you see at the zoo? Do zoos provide anything for the animals to do? Can the children think of any other books that are set in a zoo?
- Molly has to teach the animals how to look after the books they borrow. What do the children think the library rules might be?
Recommended reads
Molly can fill all the animals’ requests – from waterproof books for the otter, to tall books for giraffes (about basketball and skyscrapers), and even books in Chinese for the pandas. Look closely at the pictures to see what else the animals are reading (for example, in the illustration left the beaver is choosing How to Build Dams). Ask the children to suggest other books the animals could read. They can write out their suggestions on ‘recommended read’ cards, as found in bookshops. Alternatively, make a bookshelf frieze, painting or drawing the spines of books to add to it.
The book has a really positive message about reading and how there is a story for and in everyone
The Zoobrary
The animals write so many stories that they have to build their own library – the Zoobrary. Encourage the children to think about how a library looks; could they help the animals design the Zoobrary? Would a Zoobrary be different to a library for humans? Discuss features such as shelving, seating, arranging the books, the library desk, whether they would have library cards, and so on. Have a look at some library supply catalogues for furniture suggestions. Then, as a class, make a floor plan or a collage of the Zoobrary.
Treating books right
‘Gently, Molly taught lessons in treating books right.’ Young children (and animals!) might need some reminders on looking after books – turning the pages carefully, having clean hands, putting them back in the right place. Discuss these points with the children and why they are necessary. (The books have to be shared by lots of readers, so it is important to treat them with respect.) Design a poster about caring for books, to go up in the school library.
Animal authors
As well as discovering lots of exciting things to read, the animals decide to write their own books. Discuss the different genres mentioned, from memoirs (the hippo wins the ‘Zoolitzer’ prize for hers!) to drama, poetry and jokes. Introduce the children to some examples of each, and let them design a bookmark in the style of one of the genres. For instance, a bookmark for a play could contain a quote or theatrical masks. The insects write haikus, which are reviewed by the scorpion. Read some with the children (do they agree with the scorpion’s comments?), and see if they can write their own.
For your chance to win a copy of Wild About Books visit our ‘Giveaways’ page
Portrait of the animal
Lots of different animals are mentioned in the story. How many do the children recognise? Display silhouettes of animals, either as picture cards or on the interactive whiteboard, and challenge the children to identify them. Show the children where the animal non-fiction books are located in the school library. In pairs, ask them to research a particular animal, seeing what they can find out about it and writing a few facts down. More able children can write a short biography of their animal. The children should finish off their profiles by suggesting a book that their animal might enjoy reading. If the children’s animals are native to other countries, what language might they prefer to read in?
