Ronan the Librarian

February 10, 2020
“Ronan was legendary for finding the best pillage,” write siblings Luebbe and Cattie (I Used to Be Famous). When a chest turns out to be filled with books instead of gold, he contemplates using the pages for kindling, toilet paper, or... origami? Though “barbarians didn’t read books,” a picture pulls him in, and Ronan is hooked. Maderna, whose gouache pictures have the visual zing of classic animation, shows her protagonist reading even while he’s raiding. Ronan loots so many books that he decides to open a library, even as a comrade dismisses the biblio-booty as “Too sparkly. Too kissy. Too wimpy.” But an impromptu story hour seeps into the collective barbarian consciousness, and the library becomes so popular that Ronan has to establish some rules, including “swords make terrible bookmarks.” A bushy-bearded fractured history capable of tickling the funny bones of bookworms and reluctant readers. Ages 4–8. Authors’ agent: Tracy Marchini, BookEnds Literary.

February 15, 2020
A common raider finds an uncommon new passion. Like his fellow barbarians, Ronan invades, raids, and trades on a regular basis. But everything changes the day he happens to glance at a picture in a book he accidentally stole. Rather than use it for origami, kindling, or toilet paper, Ronan discovers a passion for reading. Pillages now turn into new opportunities to find more reading material. Eager to share his new enthusiasm and his collection, he invites his fellows to a library opening only to find that you can lead a barbarian to a library but you can't make 'em read. To truly hook these warmongers, it'll take a clever read-aloud. Consistently clever and upbeat, this paean to reading is far more than just mere preaching to the book-loving choir. Choice use of repetition, hilarity, and good old-fashioned storytelling is the name of the game. Visual gags courtesy of Maderna complement but never overshadow the humor. You don't have to be a librarian to appreciate signs like, "Come Read! Free Mead!" and the sneaky, book-eating goat that sharp-eyed listeners will notice cropping up on multiple pages. Ronan presents white while his fellow barbarians are a range of different skin tones. Uff da! Go berserk! Read this book! (Picture book. 4-7)

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