Quiet! there's a canary in the library

Don Freeman's 1969 classic Quiet! There's a Canary in the Library tells the story of a girl who imagines running a library that caters to the birds and the beasts. But when mice unexpectedly show up, her well-behaved menagerie of readers goes wild. Freeman's (Corduroy) delicate line drawings run the gamut from fully rendered scenes of activity to the barest suggestions of tables and chairs. (Viking, $15.99 48p ages 3-up ISBN 9780-670-06230-0; Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

If she were the librarian, Cary would allow all the animals "to come in and browse." As she welcomes a parade of creatures into the reading room, readers know pandemonium will break loose. Luckily, a canary with a piercing song comes to the rescue. Freeman contrasts more detailed drawings of the actual library with childlike crayoned depictions of Cary's daydreamed adventure. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.