Lehrhaupt, Adam. Book’s Big Adventure. Ill. Rahele Jomepour Bell. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2021. 978-1-534-42183-7. Unpaged. $17.99. Grades K-2.

As a new book in the library, Book goes on many adventures.  He goes on a picnic and in a car; he is read at bedtime and throughout the day. But one day, Book is no longer placed on the new books shelf. He is moved to a lower, darker shelf. His adventures are fewer and fewer; he feels forgotten and wishes for the adventures he once had. After his fall from grace (or the library shelf), he is found and boxed; all hope is lost for Book.  Until one day, when Book finds a new home. He is cherished and loved and taken on many new adventures.

THOUGHTS: Book’s Big Adventure is a fantastic introduction for children to cleaning and donation. Although the book focuses on Book being weeded from the collection and finding a new home through donation, the connection to children getting new toys and forgetting about older ones or growing out of clothing is easily drawn. The illustrations by Bell enhance the story by giving life to Book and the adventures he goes on. They start out bright and colorful, then grow darker as he is forgotten, and finally become bright and airy again when he finds his new home. This is a wonderful picture book to encourage children to clean and donate items. The author also includes a note at the end about where the idea for Book’s Big Adventure came from and where readers can donate used books. As a side note, Book is not identified as he, she, or they in the book. I identified Book as a he because I thought the illustrations lent more to a he than a she. Book’s title looks like a bowtie to me.

Picture Book          Erin Bechdel, Beaver Area SD