review: I Took My Frog to the Libray

I took My Frog to the Library by Eric A. Kimmel. Illustrated by Blanche Sims. 1990; Puffin, 1992 (9780140509168) $5.99 pb

Bridgett has a house full of book-loving pets, but when she tries taking them to the library with her, chaos always follows: her hen lays an egg in the card catalog, her python sheds skin all over the picture books, and her giraffe rudely reads over everybody's shoulder. Even her very well behaved elephant, who stacks her books neatly on the checkout desk and listens politely at storytime, is just too big for the library. Finally the librarian has to ask Bridgett to leave her animals at home--but that's okay, because her elephant is there to read to them. Although this book is pure fun, some points about good library etiquette are effortlessly made. Busy, expressive illustrations add to the humor of the story. (4-8)