Review - Jumping Off Library Shelves

Jumping Off Library Shelves
selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins
illustrated by Jane Manning
Date: 2015
Publisher: WordSong
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: hardcover
Source: library

Here is the library, not just as a place that houses books, but as an experience. Fifteen poems celebrate the thrill of getting your first library card, the excitement of story hour, the fun of using the computer, the pride of reading to the dog, and the joy of discovering that the librarian understands you and knows exactly which books you’ll love. The poems, compiled by noted poet and anthologist Lee Bennett Hopkins, pay homage to the marvels of books and reading. Accompanied by Jane Manning’s colorful, imaginative illustrations, this collection lyrically celebrates the magic of libraries.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

Unlike the last kids' poetry collection I read, this one is actually suitable for children. Jumping Off Library Shelves celebrates reading and libraries through a collection of simple poems. Some of them rhyme, while some of them don't. (I think I would've preferred to see more that did, but I can appreciate that the editor was trying to stick with a theme.)

The illustrations are colourful and appealing, and the poems' subjects range from books to library cards to that computer in the corner where you can access the Internet. There are references to well-known books, and plenty of love for librarians who help us find new worlds to discover.

While I'm not sure how appealing all of the poems are going to be for kids (when I was little, poetry had to rhyme), but at least the theme is consistent and the poems themselves are suitable for children.

Premise: 4/5
Meter: 3/5
Writing: 3/5
Illustrations: 3/5
Originality: 4/5

Enjoyment: 3/5

Overall: 3.29 out of 5