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Little free libraries are a great way to try a picture book I wouldn't pick up intentionally, because they come with a certain degree of recommendation (someone had this, once, and presumably read it) as well as the novelty of finding a random book on a walk. My picture book reading is generally the result of chasing a specific author or theme, and outside that I don't just browse them at my actual public library b/c I don't actually want to be in kids' spaces, so I enjoy the invitation to diversify. I also like care bearing by dropping the read books off at a different LFL than where I found them.
Some adventures from little free library picture book browsing:
that person who offloaded cat-themed picture books
for a while the LFL I pass weekly (on our weekend patisserie walk) was offloading Jewish picture books, which is very relevant to my interests
the nearest elementary school has a LFL in the parking lot, chockablock full; and conveniently they're close to a different pasty shop
...and the school built the library out of plywood that at the first rain swelled so bad the door got wedged closed :( RIP library, may they resurrect you
Title: Emma
Author: Barbara Cooney
Published: Dragonfly Books, 1993
Rating: 4 of 5
Page Count: 30
Total Page Count: 507,020
Text Number: 1809
Read Because: borrowed from a local Little Free Library
Review: A lonely old lady finds a new purpose in her painting. Not to spoil a picture book, but: as soon as her paintings started to gain social attention, my hackles went up, expecting a "provide value to earn love" narrative; thankfully, this isn't that. At the end of the day, people leave, Emma is still alone—but alone with her fulfilling work and surrounded by the beauty she's created. That's the way to do it. A picture book about art inevitably suits itself, rich with paintings-within-paintings, vibrant and beautiful. (This is the author/illustrator behind Miss Rumphius and, while not as transcendent, has many of the same charms.)
Title: What-A-Mess
Author: Frank Muir
Published: General Pub. Co, 1997
Rating: 4 of 5
Page Count: 30
Total Page Count: 507,050
Text Number: 1810
Read Because: borrowed from a local Little Free Library
Review: An afghan puppy who doesn't know he's a puppy tries on other round brown forms to explain why he's such a mess. Another picture book with a delightful reversal at the end: after his failed experiments, the puppy is given an answer ... and misinterprets it, coming away with more glorious experiments to try tomorrow. I like that the antics of self-discovery are about the journey, not the destination, and Muir's illustrations are—well, the puppy's face looks weird as hell, but the vibrancy and detail of the illustrations capture the chaotic energy of the premise.
Title: When the Storm Comes
Author: Linda Ashman
Illustrator: Taeeun Yoo
Published: Nancy Paulsen Books, 2020
Rating: 2 of 5
Page Count: 30
Total Page Count: 515,100
Text Number: 1865
Read Because: another Little Free Library find
Review: Very cozy, a little dark, and diversely community- and family-focused. All good things! But nothing that sticks with me as an adult reader of picture books, and the jewel-toned cool greens and deep blues could not be more repulsive to me aesthetically, which is a personal problem but still stops me from appreciating this.
Some adventures from little free library picture book browsing:
that person who offloaded cat-themed picture books
for a while the LFL I pass weekly (on our weekend patisserie walk) was offloading Jewish picture books, which is very relevant to my interests
the nearest elementary school has a LFL in the parking lot, chockablock full; and conveniently they're close to a different pasty shop
...and the school built the library out of plywood that at the first rain swelled so bad the door got wedged closed :( RIP library, may they resurrect you
Title: Emma
Author: Barbara Cooney
Published: Dragonfly Books, 1993
Rating: 4 of 5
Page Count: 30
Total Page Count: 507,020
Text Number: 1809
Read Because: borrowed from a local Little Free Library
Review: A lonely old lady finds a new purpose in her painting. Not to spoil a picture book, but: as soon as her paintings started to gain social attention, my hackles went up, expecting a "provide value to earn love" narrative; thankfully, this isn't that. At the end of the day, people leave, Emma is still alone—but alone with her fulfilling work and surrounded by the beauty she's created. That's the way to do it. A picture book about art inevitably suits itself, rich with paintings-within-paintings, vibrant and beautiful. (This is the author/illustrator behind Miss Rumphius and, while not as transcendent, has many of the same charms.)
Title: What-A-Mess
Author: Frank Muir
Published: General Pub. Co, 1997
Rating: 4 of 5
Page Count: 30
Total Page Count: 507,050
Text Number: 1810
Read Because: borrowed from a local Little Free Library
Review: An afghan puppy who doesn't know he's a puppy tries on other round brown forms to explain why he's such a mess. Another picture book with a delightful reversal at the end: after his failed experiments, the puppy is given an answer ... and misinterprets it, coming away with more glorious experiments to try tomorrow. I like that the antics of self-discovery are about the journey, not the destination, and Muir's illustrations are—well, the puppy's face looks weird as hell, but the vibrancy and detail of the illustrations capture the chaotic energy of the premise.
Title: When the Storm Comes
Author: Linda Ashman
Illustrator: Taeeun Yoo
Published: Nancy Paulsen Books, 2020
Rating: 2 of 5
Page Count: 30
Total Page Count: 515,100
Text Number: 1865
Read Because: another Little Free Library find
Review: Very cozy, a little dark, and diversely community- and family-focused. All good things! But nothing that sticks with me as an adult reader of picture books, and the jewel-toned cool greens and deep blues could not be more repulsive to me aesthetically, which is a personal problem but still stops me from appreciating this.
