March is National Reading Month, and to honor the occasion, we’re sharing an illustrated excerpt from Gillian Shields and Francesca Chessa’s celebration of young literacy, Library Lily.
This fun picture book tells the story of Lily, a girl who loves to read so much that she forgets to do anything else. She reads right through summer, fall, winter, and spring . . . until one day, Lily meets a girl who hates reading.
It’s a heartwarming story of imagination and friendship that will resonate with book lovers of all ages, reminding readers that adventures, whether on or off the page, are best with a friend along.
* * *
When Lily learned to read, her mom was very pleased. She took Lily to the library and got her a library card.
Lily was so excited. There were fat books, thin books, great enormous square books, old books, new books, and furry-touchy-feely books.
Going to the library was like going on an adventure. . . .
Lily read and read and read.
“There goes Library Lily,” people began to say.
“Always has her head in a book.” . . .
One sunny morning, Lily’s mom took her to the park.
“Why don’t you go and play?” Mom asked.
“But I want to finish my story,” said Lily. “It’s such an exciting adventure.”
So Lily wandered over to the playground . . . and read the signs.
“Maybe you’ll have an adventure in the park,” smiled Mom.
That didn’t take long.
She was just wondering what else she could find to read, when someone called out.
“Hey! What are you doing?”
“Reading, of course!” said Lily.
“Reading’s boring!” said the upside-down voice. “In fact, I hate reading.”
“Hate reading!” gasped Lily. “What do you like?”
“Lots of things!” the upside-down person said. “Playing. Climbing. Exploring.”
“I’m Milly,” said Milly.
“I’m Lily,” said Lily.
Milly grinned.
“Would you like to climb my tree?”
Lily scrambled up the tree to join Milly.
From the top, they could see the green park, the busy streets, the library, and the town, all spread out below them like a picture.
“Wow!” breathed Lily.
“There’s a whole world out there,” said Milly.
“There’s a whole world in here too,” exclaimed Lily, pulling a book from her bag. “You’ll see!”
Absolutely charming, a sure-fire addition to my grandma-will-purchase for my granddaughters. Kudos to Shields, Chessa, and Eerdmans! And blest be all children who read this book!