Fun at the Library

These stories celebrate libraries, librarians, and everyone who loves to visit the library! Whether it's little Lola, the library lion, or children who get their library books by way of an elephant, these bilingual and multicultural stories will remind you of why our libraries are such special places.

For more great children's books about libraries, take a look at Favorite Stories About Libraries and Librarians on Reading Rockets!

Bats at the Library

"Storytime is just the thing / to rest a play-exhausted wing." It's bat night at the library, and the bats have come to read their favorite stories in this clever story told in rhyme. From reading the classics to splashing in the drinking fountain, the bats will leave you wondering what really happens after dark in the library! Also available in Spanish.

Book Fiesta!

children walking with smiles
By: Pat Mora
Illustrated by: Rafael López
Age Level: 3-6
Language: Spanish (Bilingual Eng/Sp)

Even though there's a special day called Children's Day/Book Day, children and books can be celebrated everyday and in any place as is demonstrated in this vibrant book. Energetic illustrations show a wide range of children and animals playing, reading, and just plain having fun with each other and with books.

Book Uncle and Me

Illustration of tween girl surrounded by books

Every day, nine-year-old Yasmin borrows a book from Book Uncle, a retired teacher who has set up a free lending library on the street corner. But when the mayor tries to shut down the rickety bookstand, Yasmin has to take her nose out of her book and do something. What can she do? The local elections are coming up, but she's just a kid. She can't even vote! But soon, Yasmin and her friends get to work.

D.W.'s Library Card

Arthur's little sister, Dora Winifred (better known as D.W.) can hardly wait until she can write her entire name to get her very own library card. Once she does, however, D.W. worries so much about possibly damaging the book she borrowed that she cannot enjoy it. Arthur helps her understand that she can use and enjoy library books safely. Also available in Spanish.

Library Lion

When a lion comes into the library, no one is sure what to do. After all, there aren't any rules about lions in the library — especially one with a loud roar! Everyone is about to learn, however, just how helpful a library lion can be. Lovely, warm illustrations bring this enchanting story to life. Also available in Spanish.

Little Libraries, Big Heroes

Illustration of people around a Little Free Library
Illustrated by: John Parra
Age Level: 6-9
Language: English

The inspiring story of how the Little Free Library organization brings communities together through books, from founder Todd Bol's first installation to the creation of more than 75,000 mini-libraries around the world.

Lola at the Library

Illustrated by: Rosalind Beardshaw
Language: Spanish (Bilingual Eng/Sp)

Lola loves Tuesday because it's library day! She is ready to go with her library card and backpack full of books. Young readers will easily relate to Lola and her excitement about the library. Colorful illustrations of Lola, her mommy, and the library are a perfect match for the charming text. Also available in Spanish.

My Librarian Is a Camel: How Books Are Brought to Children Around the World

Age Level: 6-9

Have you ever gotten your library book by way of a camel, elephant, solar-powered truck, or boat? This book offers a fascinating introduction to the many kinds of libraries around the world and includes numerous photos. Readers will come away with an appreciation of just how special libraries are to people no matter their background, as well as of their own neighborhood library branch!

Once Upon a Book

Girl stepping into a book
Age Level: 6-9

Alice loves to imagine herself in the magical pages of her favorite book. So when it flaps its pages and invites her in, she is swept away to a world of wonder and adventure, riding camels in the desert, swimming under the sea with colorful fish, floating in outer space, and more! But when her imaginative journey comes to an end, she yearns for the place she loves best of all.

Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré

Drawing of a woman and four children sitting on a stoop reading and flowers grow around them.
Illustrated by: Paola Escobar
Age Level: 6-9, 9-12
Language: English, Spanish vocabulary featured

When she came to America in 1921, Pura carried the folk tales of her Puerto Rican homeland. Finding a new home at the New York Public Library as a bilingual assistant, she turned her popular retellings into libros and spread story seeds across the land. Today, these seeds have grown into a lush landscape as generations of children and storytellers continue to share her tales and celebrate Pura's legacy. This portrait of the influential librarian, author, and puppeteer reminds us of the power of storytelling and the extraordinary woman who opened doors and championed bilingual literature.

Return of the Library Dragon

Return of the Library Dragon
Illustrated by: Michael P. White
Age Level: 6-9

In this sequel to The Library Dragon, Miss Lotty is finally checking herself out of the Sunrise Elementary School Library, but not before Lotta Scales makes one final, fiery stand. After 557 years of faithful service, Miss Lotty is retiring from guarding books. But before she can check out of Sunrise Elementary for good, disaster strikes. Someone has ordered to have all the books removed from the library and replaced with machines! It’s enough to make Lotty feel a little…dragon-like.

Richard Wright and the Library Card

Illustrated by: Gregory Christie
Age Level: 6-9

Product Description: Richard Wright and the Library Card shares a poignant turning point in the life of a young man who became one of this country's most brilliant writers, the author of Native Son and Black Boy. As a young black man in the segregated South of the 1920s, Wright was hungry to explore new worlds through books, but was forbidden from borrowing them from the library. This touching account tells of his love of reading, and how his unwavering perseverance, along with the help of a co-worker, came together to make Richard's dream a reality.

That Book Woman

That Book Woman
Illustrated by: David Small
Age Level: 6-9

High in the Appalachian hills, a woman comes every two weeks on horseback to deliver books to Cal's family. Cal has no interest in reading, but he wonders what could possibly make her long treks in the snow and wind worthwhile? Young readers will discover a moving introduction to the story and courage of Kentucky's Pack Horse Librarians.

The Librarian of Basra: A True Story From Iraq

The Librarian of Basra: A True Story From Iraq
Age Level: 6-9

In spite of looming war, librarian Alia Muhammed Baker was able to save the books from the library of Basra by moving them to safety. Simple forms and deep colors in a naïve style evoke the war without being explicit. The bravery and action of one person celebrates both everyday heroism and books as a unifying force.

The Library Bus

Afghan girl near a bus
Illustrated by: Gabrielle Grimard
Age Level: 6-9

It is still dark in Kabul, Afghanistan when the library bus rumbles out of the city. There are no bus seats ― instead there are chairs and tables and shelves of books. And there are no passengers ― instead there is Pari, who is nervously starting her first day as Mama's library helper. Author Bahram Rahman grew up in Afghanistan during years of civil war and the Taliban regime. He wrote this story to tell new generations about the struggles of women who, like his own sister, were forbidden to learn.

The Library Dragon

The Library Dragon
Illustrated by: Michael P. White
Age Level: 6-9

Sunrise Elementary School's new librarian is Miss Lotta Scales, a fire-breathing dragon who fiercely guards her new books. When a nearsighted child enters the unused facility and begins reading aloud, other children wander in, and Miss Scales realizes that kids don't necessarily damage books. The text is filled with dragon-related puns.

The Storyteller's Candle

Painting of Pura Belpre telling children a story by candlelight
Age Level: 9-12
Language: Spanish (Bilingual Eng/Sp)

This is the story of librarian Pura Belpré, told through the eyes of two young children who are introduced to the library and its treasures just before Christmas. Lulu Delacre's lovely illustrations evoke New York City at the time of the Great Depression, as well as the close-knit and vibrant Puerto Rican community that was thriving in El Barrio during this time. Bilingual Spanish-English text.

The Treasure Box

Illustrated by: Freya Blackwood
Age Level: 6-9

"'When the enemy bombed the library, everything burned.' This is how Wild begins her rather dark tale of salvaging one important thing when everything else is broken or destroyed. A young boy's father had borrowed a book from that soon-to-be-burned library, and when the 'enemy' (never identified or hinted at) forces the people to leave their homes, the father chooses to take the book, sequestering it in an iron box. He tells the boy that the book is 'about our people, about us.

Tomás and the Library Lady

By: Pat Mora
Illustrated by: Raúl Colón

Tomás, child of migrant workers, visits the town library to find stories like the ones told by his grandfather. There he meets a librarian who provides him with a cool place, stories and books, and friendship before Tomás and his family move on to the next place. Handsomely illustrated in earth tones, this touching story was inspired by the real life of writer and educator, Tomás Rivera. Also available in Spanish.

Waiting for the Biblioburro

Illustration of a male librarian riding on a donkey
Illustrated by: John Parra
Age Level: 6-9
Language: English, Spanish (Bilingual Eng/Sp)

Meet Ana, a young girl who loves to read. There aren't many books in her small Colombian village, though — until the day Ana meets the Biblioburro, a librarian who brings books through the mountains on the backs of two strong donkeys. Inspired by the heroic efforts of real-life librarian Luis Soriano, this story asks readers, "How far would you go for a book?"