Bunny's Book Club by Annie Silvestro, illustrated by Tatjana Mai-Wyss

I'm usually not a fan of "celebrations of libraries" picture books. I feel that if you already like the library they're superfluous (and a bit self-indulgent) and if you don't you're not going to encounter them anyways. But I do have a little bit of a weakness for cute animals discovering the joy of books and libraries, like Kohara's Midnight Library or Pauli's Fox in the Library.

This new title hit my adorable button right away. Bunny has been introduced to the wonder of books by listening to outdoor storytimes by the old library. But when summer ends and storytime moves back inside, he becomes desperate to get access to his beloved books. Finally, he figures out how to sneak in through the book drop and happily carries piles of books, a few at a time, back to his den. When his friends show up, one by one, he introduces them to the wonders of books (Bear is a little tricky to get through the book drop) and one by one they become equally enthralled.

But then the librarian discovers them! Will they be separated from their beloved books forever? Spoiler - of course not! The librarian gives them library cards and Bunny happily starts a book club for all his forest friends.

Soft, pastel colors show a sweet variety of large and small pictures, including delicate details in the woods and a diverse group of children and staff. My favorite is the little girl whose buoyant pigtails mimic Bunny's ears! The library is a little sentimentalized - the quiet group of listening children all look to be around 5 or 6 and the library has unnaturally tall shelves and an odd color scheme - but it's a dream library, not a real one, meant to show the importance and love of books for a small child (or a bunny).

Verdict: Not a necessary purchase, but I just loved it so much. The sweet pictures, delicate outdoor details, joy in books, and diverse library patrons and staff made me fall in love and I can't wait to introduce this on a school tour next year.

ISBN: 9780553537581; Published 2017 by Doubleday; Borrowed from another library in my consortium