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You've gotta love a book that turns the tables on gender stereotypes, and it’s even better when it’s a children’s book. In Beverly Billingsly Borrows a Book, you have an adorable little gal who is totally into dinosaurs, so much so that she spends her every waking hour reading and learning about them. My hero…eh, heroine.
Alexander Stadler’s charming story of a girl who gets her first library card takes the excitement of visiting the library one step further when little Beverly forgets to return her book, Dinosaurs of the Cretaceous Period, on time. Her pals tell her all kinds of scary tales about the punishment for late library books, but Beverly finds out it’s not so bad, and even makes a new friend and ally in the process.
This imaginative and entertaining book is made even more so by Stadler’s fun and frolicky illustrations (Mrs. Del Rubio, the librarian, is a kick!). But I especially cheer for the whole idea that a girl can be into something having to do with science. As a kid who grew up surrounded with science stuff (my pop is a geophysicist), I can relate. I can also relate to any book that encourages kids to discover that treasure trove of wonder in their neighborhood – the local public library.
Go, Beverly, go!
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Beverly Billingsly Borrows a Book