Where Is Our Library?: A Story of Patience and Fortitude

Patience and Fortitude, the lions of the New York Public Library, are spending a usual night in the Children’s section of the library. But to their despair, all the books have disappeared. They travel to Times Square to try to find them, then to Central Park to talk to the wise man about where the books have gone. Finally, they meet Hans Christian Anderson, who gives them a list of other libraries around the city to check. They enjoy the trek, but still can’t find the books at their library. Will they be able to have the right perspective to find the books in time?

Text: I loved the rhythm and rhyme. Josh Funk is a master at doing this. He does both very well. The word choice is excellent, with just enough there to give us a good amount but not so much that the illustrator doesn’t have room to work. I loved the solution of the story.

Illustrations: The illustrator was very creative. I’m sure it was a challenge having the book set at night. He did a great job making it darker without losing the integrity of the illustrations. I love the perspective of them running around Central Park. I think the buildings of the other libraries in different parts of New York City were great.

Age Range: 5 to 8 years, because the text is a little longer.