Hooray Hooray, it’s Library Day!

Julie Ann Grasso and Heath McKenzie, Hooray Hooray it’s Library Day!, Scholastic Australia, July 2024, 24 pp., RRP $18.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781760266042

The sun is up, today’s the day.
The little ones come, with smiles so wide and silky bags as big as them.
HOORAY, HOORAY, IT’S LIBRARY DAY!

 The opening lines of Julie Ann Grasso’s debut picture book will have parent readers reminiscing about primary school and the joy of class library day. But this story quickly spins to a lonely library book’s point of view. Will the small one choose him? Will the book ever travel in the silky soft library bag?

This fun-filled story follows a lonely book’s quest to be read and loved over and over by many children. Filled with delicious sensory language and onomatopoeia, teachers and librarians will find this a useful resource to set the scene for students’ first library visits. There are moments for readers to pause and understand how to check out a library book, care for books and return them to the library on time. And of course it’s focus is the wonder of reading a library book over and over.

The illustrations by the talented Heath McKenzie are bright and colourful in a textural style makes this picture book perfect for kinder and foundation students curious about library visits.

Reviewed by Stef Gemmill

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