Children's Literature
- Kathleen Karr
Lil is not a little old lady librarian. She's an exuberant, vivacious, exceptionally strong young woman who's been in love with books since birth. And she has a mission: to wean the good people of Chesterville from their TV sets ("an evil that ranked right up there with poison ivy and mosquitoes.") A fortuitous storm and electricity blackout gives Lil her chance. Soon everyone is reading, until a motorcycle gang rides into town. How Lil wins over Bust-'em-up Bill and his cohorts is amusing, and wonderfully and humorously illustrated in Steven Kellogg's inimitable style. This love story about books is enough to make anyone wish for a permanent TV blackout!
Children's Literature
- Jan Lieberman
Meet Library Lil, a woman of many talents. As a reader she learned to lift weights, play soccer, and build tree houses. She was strong in mind and body and spread her enthusiasm by becoming a librarian. The town was only interested in TV until a storm knocked out the power. Lil resurrects the old bookmobile and brings the books to the people. All went well until Bust-em-up-Bill came to town and wanted to watch Tuesday night wrestling. He is no match for our Lil. Scene after scene rollicks with Kellogg's rich imagination and joyful palette. Every library will want a few copies.
Children's Literature
- Mary Quattlebaum
Suzanne Williams gives us a folk hero for these TV-driven times in Library Lil. Young Lil builds her muscles by toting books back and forth from the library. Her strength and wide reading stand her in good stead when, as a grown-up, she tries to persuade the townspeople to embrace books, rather than the boob tube. But when Bust-'em-up Bill and his book-hating gang roar into town, it seems that Lil has met her match. Steven Kellogg's illustrations, awash in yellow tones, are ebullient and engaging.
School Library Journal
Gr 2-4--A librarian's favorite fantasy. Lil the librarian is discouraged because no one comes to her dynamite storytimes, and no one checks out her terrific new books. The whole town would rather watch TV. Then one happy, stormy night, the power fails and stays off for two solid weeks. Lil pushes credit her childhood practice lifting encyclopedias the bookmobile dead battery around town and--presto!--changes vacant-eyed boob tubers into avid readers. But pretty soon, here comes trouble in the person of Bust-'em--up Bill, the tattooed leader of the gasp motorcycle gang. Bill blames Lil because there's no danged TV in the pool hall. Confrontation in the library parking lot! Bill's gang is waiting right where Lil wants to park her bookmobile. Will they move their bikes? Are you kidding? Nobody messes with Big Bad Bill, except of course, our heroine Lil. One by one, she tosses them aside, earning the respect of the not-so-scary desperadoes. The payoff is reading books, and since these guys are not academically gifted, Lil starts them off with Easys Kellogg titles, natch. Pretty soon Lil has a new assistant. Bust-'em-up Bill is now Bookworm Bill, and the two even watch a little TV now and then. The silliness of both story and pictures are perfectly matched. Kellogg's distinctive toothy kids and laughing cats crowd the pages, fitting right in with the baby-faced biker banditos. A winner for storytimes anywhere.--Ruth Semrau, formerly at Lovejoy School, Allen, TX
Kirkus Reviews
Move over, Paul Bunyan—here comes Library Lil, who can toss a motorbike over her head like an apple core, balance a set of encyclopedias on the palm of one hand, speed-read every book in the children's room, tell a whale of a story, and convert an entire town to reading. Williams (Made in China, 1997, etc.) teams up with Kellogg for an exuberant, tongue-in-cheek adventure that will certainly strike a chord with book lovers. Lil, who always wanted to be a librarian, works in Chesterville, where the people watch too much television (which Lil labels "the Devil's Invention"). When a horrible storm takes down the power lines, Lil seizes her chance, pushing the bookmobile up and down the darkened streets and making sure that every man, woman, and child has a book to read. By the time electricity is restored two weeks later, the whole town is full of readers. When Bust-'em-up and his motorcycle gang roar into town and park in Lil's spot, there are more changes in the wind: Soon Bust-'em-up Bill becomes Bookworm Bill, and Lil finds time for a little Tuesday night wrestling on television. Great fun, with Kellogg's watercolors working hand-in-glove to put the humor of the tale over the top.
