Roar for reading

Using "roar" as both anthem and acronym ("Recognize. Organize. Act. Respect."), Ferry gives librarianship a creaturely prehistory in this picture book with an anti-censorship message. Starting with a "long and curious" history of lions and libraries, an opening myth recounts a time when books were rare and in need of protection from those who could roar. So "lions became the guardians of libraries everywhere. They soon became known as librarians." Fast-forward to contemporary scenes of a bustling library filled with gleeful animal patrons--until the head librarian receives instructions to remove books from the shelves ("controversial," the mayor says when confronted; "banning," the lioness counters). Cub Julius watches the sequence unfold with a "funny feeling" before letting loose an outraged roar that spurs community action. Drawn in thin black lines, Joyner's digital artwork saves its detailing for character expressions, which range from anger to joy as their movement finds its voice. Includes an author's note and "How Can You Roar?" Ages 4--8. (Sept.)

Lion librarians roar for intellectual freedom. Lions have protected libraries for years, though the link between the two is a bit of a mystery. Perhaps it's lions' roars that make them the perfect guardians of "something rare and precious" like books. Scenes depicting libraries of yore show robed lions in caves safeguarding treasure boxes filled with books as scholarly-looking animals happily read. Today, libraries are "peaceful and quiet" places. Librarians--still lions--focus less on protecting books and more on sharing them. The librarians' legendary roars are all but forgotten. That is, until the mayor of one community tries to ban books because "some folks think these books are dangerous." At first, the head librarian, Ms. Millicent, and her son, Julius, comply and remove books from the shelves. But, as Julius stares at a nearly empty shelf, a rumble in his belly turns into a roar. Together, Julius and his mother fight back alongside community members--all animals--for everyone's right to read. This timely book effectively simplifies the current book-banning movement into easily digestible terms. Better yet, in the backmatter, "ROAR" is revealed to be an acronym for steps to advocate for intellectual freedom (Recognize, Organize, Act, Respect). As an added treat, book covers throughout reference near-actual titles (Of Mice and Moose). A solid primer for library advocates. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.