Nia and the New Free Library

Nia and the New Free Library
Words by Ian Lendler
Illustrated by Mark Pett
Published 2021

The town’s library is nearly forgotten until the day a tornado flies it away. No one is particularly bothered by this except Nia, who loved the library, so she gets to work rewriting books to share. Nia is determined and finds a way to inspire a new love for stories in the whole town.

How Nia does it is clever and funny and, though I don’t want to spoil the surprise, kids love seeing a child character being smart, making a difference, and changing adults’ minds. Especially a child character who loves books and the library as much as they do.

As an adult reader, I enjoyed seeing the author’s note at the end and how he incorporated a childhood memory into such a fun story.

To me, a perfect picture book involves perfectly matching art, and this one goes spectacularly. The people’s facial expressions particularly were amazing, and Nia’s last face is priceless. I love how soft the art feels because it goes so well with the quieter feel of the story.

This was a random grab from the library (who can resist a library book about a library?) and I’m so glad I found it because we’ve been reading it every day. I’d recommend for any kid ages 4 and up, and for 3 year olds who love sitting for story time.