Library Lion by Michelle Knudsen

My rating: 5 of 5 stars 

My writer friend Karen gave this book to the baby while I was still pregnant. I read it to her the day we made our first trip to our local library.

Library Lion is an amazing introduction to the library. Michelle Knudsen imagines the answer to a question many library lovers have asked ourselves: "Wouldn't it be cool if the lion statues that guard the library also read books?" Personally, I'd be a little freaked out if the gargoyles that guard Chicago's main library came to life as those suckers are creepy, but that's not true of Michelle Knudsen's lion.

The Library Lion is sweet, charming and helpful (he even dusts!). Despite his large size, he's allowed to stay in the library as long as he follows the rules, which include "no roaring." One day, he breaks the rules to help a friend and has to deal with the consequences.

I loved this book. The illustrations are beautiful, it's set in a library and it encourages readers to think about rules and not blindly follow them like robots. I'm looking forward to reading this with my daughter for many years to come.