Knudsen, Michelle. Illustrated by Kevin Hawkes. 2006. Library lion. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press.

“One day, a lion came to the library.” With these words, Michelle Knudson introduces a loveable character who not only visits the library, but learns to help by dusting the shelves with his tail, licking envelopes for library mailings, and serving as a stool for children to reach books on the higher shelves. Mr. McBee, a library employee is concerned about the lion’s presence and spends much of his time tattling to the librarian, Miss Merriweather, who is happy to have the lion around as long as he doesn’t break the rules. When circumstances beyond control cause the lion to break the library rules, he leaves the library, brokenhearted. The realistic illustrations by Kevin Hawkes are presented in pastel colors that remind readers of earlier picture books and show both action and character expression in each image. Through reading this book, readers will learn about appropriate library behavior and making friends. The happy ending lets readers know that “sometimes there is a good reason to break the rules—even in a library.”