Library Lily

by Gillian Shields

Lily loves to read. She is fascinated by the stories in her books, and reads wherever she goes—through summer, autumn, winter, and spring. But one day, Lily meets a girl who hates reading. Milly invites Lily to have adventures of her own—outside the pages of a book. Together the two friends help each other discover the joy of both backyards and books—and find on the way that adventures are best with a friend along.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Friendship, Books About Books, Storytime, Adventure, Realistic Fiction

Hardcover

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Gillian Shields was born and brought up in Yorkshire, in the north of England. As she grew up, she had two passions:books and theater. Gillian’s love of books led her to read English at St. Catharine's College, Cambridge. After university she studied acting in London. She then taught in a drama school, the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts, for several years, becoming Vice Principal. She recently taught English and Drama at Beechwood Sacred Heart, a girls’ boarding school.

Having children gave Gillian an excuse to carry on reading children’s books, as well as a motivation to write them. She has a son and a daughter, and is married to Brian, who works for the New York Times Media Group.


Hobbies, Interests, and Enthusiasms
I am currently learning Italian (or trying to!) and have a secret fantasy about going to live on the beautiful island of Sicily one day, and having a little stone house with a lemon tree in the garden, and a view of the blue, blue sea! I am lucky, though, because I do live in a fantastic part of England, full of soft green fields and rolling hills and cottages that date back four hundred years.

I like to go for long walks and see the changes that the seasons bring, and I try to imagine how it all must have been years and years ago, and how the people lived. I was brought up in the north of England which is much more rugged and wild—the backdrop to Immortal.

I also enjoy being in the city—although I wouldn't want to live there all the time, it's fun to go window shopping or to big new exhibitions or shows, or just hang out in a coffee shop with a cappuccino and a notebook and watch the busy world go by.

Something I enjoy is painting. I have taken quite a few art classes and find it very creative to work with paint and charcoal and images instead of words, though somehow I can't help adding bits of poetry and scraps of words into my paintings, too… When I was at school, I was completely obsessed by the Pre-Raphaelites, and I love the way their art is so intertwined with poetry and stories. My best friend is an artist and she is incredibly inspiring to me.

I hate cooking but love the idea of being a good cook and welcoming all my friends and family to delicious meals. So I have lots of beautiful cookery books but I never get past the first couple of recipes. Every so often I get madly enthusiastic all over again, but it doesn't last.

When I am writing, I can't listen to music—I find it too distracting, but I love to listen to the radio when I am driving. I listen to pop music in the morning and classical music in the afternoon. That just seems right somehow. My son is really into music, so I enjoy sharing his enthusiasms. At the moment we are listening to Eminem, Akon, NDubz, Chipmunk, Kanye West, plus Greenday, Michael Jackson…the list goes on. My current absolute favorite is Paolo Nutini.

Another interest I have is this amazing charity called The Smile Train which carries out operations for disadvantaged children born with harelip/cleft palate. Sometimes I feel I don't realize how lucky I am, and so it's good to try and do something to help a child on the other side of the world who isn't so lucky. My family also tries to support Sightsavers International, who do simple cataract operations to restore the sight of hundreds of people in the developing world.

On a more self-indulgent note, I love to get to the theater whenever I can, and to the ballet, which I adore. In another fantasy life I would definitely be a ballerina!

I can't imagine getting through a day without reading or writing. I know it sounds a complete cliche, but there it is. I go to a writers' workshop once a week to meet other writers and exchange ideas and read work in progress, and that is hugely important to me. And every spare minute of the time at home I am reading, reading, reading…What would we do without stories?
Education
St Catharine's College, Cambridge University (MA in Englis

Reviews

[Rossy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was Lily.
I am Lily.
You are Lily.
All of us, here on GR, have been Lily.
:)

Lily loves to read. She spends her days reading, and reading, and reading (What could be more delightful?), until her mother encourages to play and find some adventures at the park. There she meets Mily, a girl who thinks books are boring and hates to read. Mily tells Lily to climb on her tree and tells her there is a whole other world up there. Lily tells her there's a whole world in her books, too.
They become best friends, and each one shows the other that their hobbies CAN be fun! So they read and play and go exploring together :)

I get Lily's mom wants her to have some friends and do something besides reading, but, come on, it IS like being in a whole other world, isn't it? <3

[Jenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kertoikohan tämä kirja allekirjoittaneesta? Lapset hymähtelivät ja nauroivat Kirjasto-Kaisan moninaisille paikoille, missä kirjan lukeminen meni muun tekemisen edelle - vähän kuten allekirjoittaneella..

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once Lily starts reading, she doesn't want to stop. She reads everywhere. Then she meets a friend who doesn't like reading. Together they open up and share each other's worlds.

[CatholicBibliophagist · Rating 1 out of 5]

"When Lily learned to read, her mom was very pleased. She took Lily to the library and got her a library card... The trouble was, once Lily started to read, she couldn't stop."

I love reading children's books about libraries. But I didn't like this one. I was ready to sympathize with the title character, a little girl who reads under the blankets at night, while brushing her teeth, while eating dinner. In fact, when her mother speaks to her she just doesn't hear because she's so intent on her reading. Ah, what memories of my youth this brought back!

"Lily read all the way through a sizzling summer... an awesome autumn... and a wonderful winter. And when spring came around again... she didn't notice. She was in a beautiful dream. She was reading."

And what is wrong with that? Absolutely nothing, from my point of view.

But the evil grown-ups in this book drag Lily to a park where she is forced to wander about in the "healthful" fresh air with nothing to read but sign boards. There she meets another little girl wearing a tiger suit and named Milly WHO HATES TO READ!!! She lures poor Lily up into her climbing tree to show her that "There's a whole world out there." Poor Lily tries to fight back. Pulling out a book from her bag, she insists, "There's a whole world in here too." But alas! Before you know it poor Lily is wearing a tiger suit too. "And so, all summer long Milly took Lily exploring. It was fun!" (Can we say Stockholm Syndrome?)

Okay, okay. I know I'm over reacting here. Although Lily also takes Milly on adventures in reading, and Milly decides that books aren't boring after all, there was still something I didn't like about the overall message of this book which seems to be: Don't read too much. Get out into the "real" world. Have real adventures and then, yeah, you could write them down and put them into a book.

Are you telling me that the ideas and the characters I've met in books are not real?

Somehow, that's not the message I want to give my grandchildren when we sit down together with a picture book.

[Donalyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lily adores reading and spends her days happily curled up with her books. She doesn't see this as a problem, but her mother implies that she needs other interests. At the park, she meets another girl named Milly, who hates to read, but loves exploring. The girls form a friendship and share each other's passions-- going on adventures both in and out of books. I liked the literacy and reading community message here, but it bothered me that any parent would find fault in a child who loves to read all of the time.

[Georgia · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a very simple story ( almost no story to be honest... but it got us talking and making our own ) with really cute images. My daughter loved it and she wanted to be Lily!

[Lauren Mayet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lilly is just like me and my bestie, Carmen Folse!!!!!

[Tapani Aulu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hieno kirja lukemisesta ja sen arvostamisesta.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this tribute to literacy, friendship, and shared hobbies, bibliophile Lily loves to read, and that's how she passes her days--reading, always reading. When her mother encourages Lily to play while they are in the park, she reads the signs along the path and meets a new friend named Milly. Milly is an active girl who loves climbing in trees and doesn't like to read. But over time, both come to share their worlds of adventure, exploring the world first-hand and through the books that Milly comes to love. The vividly colored illustrations show the richness of the world around the two friends, a world that is even better when shared with someone else.

[Karen Arendt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lily loves to read, but never does anything else. One day her mom takes her to the park, so she reads the signs and finds nothing else to do. Milly, a girl in the park, asks her if she wants to climb a tree. Milly hates to read, but Lily teachers her to love reading while Milly teaches Lily to love other things.

[Clare · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gorgeous picture book that has it all: books, friendship and adventure. The bright illustrations carry the charming story right into your heart.

[Charlotte · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's great to see an emphasis on not only children reading and why this can be an adventure, but also the value of libraries. Alongside Allie Smith's Public Library (and other stories) this little book makes for a charming read. As library cuts continue to be made, sharing this story with young people will hopefully be the necessary movement to invite readers back to the shelves of one of the best spaces a reader can find. For a library isn't just a library, it is everything from a boat headed towards the North Pole to a space ship headed for Mars.

[Misbah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really liked the illustrations.

Lily loves to read and reading is all she does. When her mom makes her go outside she meets Milly who hates to read and only likes to play outside. They both teach other their likes and they realize that there's a big world outside and big world inside books as well.

[Chelsea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I volunteer at my local library reading to a 6-year-old girl who struggles with reading. I read this book with her and we both enjoyed it. It is a very cute book with beautiful illustrations. It does a good job capturing what is so thrilling about books and the fun that can be had by anyone with a library card.

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hard to beat a story about a cute little girl who loves to read & go to the library, who carries a purse/book bag, & has a cute little dog... & then meets her best friend! Fun bright colorful illustrations.....this would have to be a fun book to read to a little kid!

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once Lily learns to read, it becomes her greatest pleasure and past time. She spent every waking hour reading, and nothing else. When her mother takes her to the park, she meets Milly, who shows her a whole new world of adventure. Between the two of them they share each other's world.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.6

[Kary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it - I WAS Library Lily when I was little. Great book to read to littles at the beginning of the year to illustrate the joys of reading.

[Memory Toast · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the balanced message here. An appreciation for reading, but also for action and friendship.

[Jayda Safford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lily loves books i do too. Milly meets Lily and they go on adventures.

[Carmen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aww what a cute message.

[Taylor Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a good book to read to students who love and hate reading this can relate to them. They will understand the characters.

[curiouskat_books · Rating 3 out of 5]

Relateable for love of reading, but other than that, a bit meh.

[Mrs Heet -Librarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was cute, but a little long and not necessarily about the library which is what I was looking for.

[Kelsey Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

ABSOLUTELY LOVE

[Lacy | literary_lacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I checked this book out because my daughter's name is Lily. When I brought it home, and my daughter started reading she said, "Mom! This is just like me!" Such an adorable book!

[Emily · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book really didn't work for me. I picked it up with the feeling it would be a charming story encouraging reading and literacy, and demonstrating all the liveliness in the literary world.

It felt like exactly the opposite. Instead it introduces Milly, a character who "HATES" reading... and introduces the idea that books are boring. The main character Lily becomes best friends with this girl. Somehow instead of a celebration of literacy, the message becomes "reading alone is not enough." Every instance of Lily reading books is framed as a negative distraction from "real life."

Overall the message felt quite wrong... muddled and discouraging. It didn't leave me feeling uplifted or excited about reading. I definitely wouldn't recommend it, especially not to read to children who are just beginning to form ideas about what it means to be a reader.

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Booklist (November 1, 2011 (Vol. 108, No. 5))

Preschool-Grade 1. When Lily learns to read, a whole new world opens to her. Nothing makes her happier than reading, which she does pretty much constantly. One day her mother insists she go to the park and she meets Milly—who hates to read! Outdoorsy Milly shows Lily the wonders of being outside. Then, Lily teaches Milly books are pretty great, too. When the girls grow up, they set out on fabulous adventures; once home, Lily writes them down and puts them in a book. This picture book provides a simple, appealing story in which children can see themselves in one of the two characters and also learn how to broaden their horizons. The tale might have gotten a little didactic without the wonderfully big artwork that fills the oversize format. A spread showing Lily obliviously reading in a crowd feels cramped, and when she’s out in the world there’s an expansiveness to the art. Great for story hours and for starting discussion among readers and nonreaders alike.



Horn Book (Spring 2012)

Lily loves to read and she finds the library to be an adventure. She meets Milly, a girl who hates to read and who loves to go exploring. Initially aghast, Lily realizes Milly's outdoor exploits are adventures too. Large-scale double-page spreads, warm, rich-hued, and vibrant, make this a good read-aloud for an audience of both book-lovers and the reading-averse.



Kirkus Reviews (July 15, 2011)

This gentle read presents a rosy-cheeked child, brand-new library card in hand, dazzled by the array of choices surrounding her on the shelves. "There were fat books, thin books, great enormous square books, old books, new books, and furry-touchy-feely books." The title's large trim size invites the listener inside the venerable building too, as do the vivid colors and whimsically shaped and decorated volumes. The protagonist earns her moniker when people notice her total absorption in the literary life. Lily is never without a book, and her tastes run the gamut from "rare lesser Amazonian" snakes to ghost stories.Her mother finally prods her to play in the park, where she meets the tree-climbing Milly, who hates reading. As their friendship develops, they come to appreciate the thrill of discovery in each other's realms. The thick, layered brushwork of the backgrounds and characters contrasts with the bits of cut-paper collage and simple shapes outlined in pencil to present a visually stimulating world-inside and outside the books.While there are no surprises here (nor cell phones, nor iPads), and not enough action to entertain rambunctious listeners, Chessa's depiction of the interplay between the stories on the pages and those enacted by the girls is both clever and heartwarming. Shields stops short of preaching, but it is "the choir" who will most appreciate the message. (Picture book. 4-7)



School Library Journal (August 1, 2011)

K-Gr 2-When Lily learns to read, her mother takes her to the library. From this point on, all the child wants to do is read. She reads in the morning, during the day, and at night; she reads throughout the seasons until one day her mother takes her to the park and urges her to play. There she meets Milly, who hates to read, but shares with Lily the thrill of exploring. Lily introduces her to the adventures in books, and the girls have a grand time doing things together. The simple text includes some dialogue and quotes from the books that Lily is reading and is placed attractively around the illustrations. Bright, vibrant, cartoon artwork enhances the text and evokes a cheerful feeling. The captivating images depict the girls' developing friendship and their exuberance as they discover new interests. The message demonstrates that one can enjoy both reading and exploring, especially when shared with a friend.-Margaret R. Tassia, Millersville University, PA (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Library Lily always has her nose in a book, to the point that she rarely has any real-life adventures of her own. Millie, on the other hand, can’t stand books. This sweet friendship story for bookworms tells how these two very different girls learned to appreciate one another’s points of view and become best friends who have real and imagined adventures together.

This book is a little bit too cheesy for me, and Millie’s transformation from reluctant to avid reader didn’t really ring true. This is the kind of book that very much preaches to the converted. Kids who are already big readers will love it, as will teachers, librarians, and bibliophile parents. The style of illustration is neat, with lots of different shapes and collages of different materials, but the pictures don’t reflect very much diversity. There are some pages depicting library users that show nothing but white faces, which is not at all what my community looks like.

The book does promote print motivation and print awareness, by including lots of signs and showing Lily reading the signs for fun. The story might work in story time, particularly in a book club or some other environment where all the kids are big readers, and it makes a nice addition to the possible books I might share during National Library Week. Still, though, I don’t know that it will convert any kids to becoming big readers, and the overly sweet tone will definitely turn off some kids, especially those who are prone to dismiss reading as boring or dorky in and of itself.

[Stefanie Burns · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story for friendhip = you didn't have to like everything your friend does. It's also good for the idea that books take you places. You can go on adventures by reading a book.

Once Lily learned to read, that's all she wanted to do. One day at the park, her Mom encourages her to put the book down and "have an adventure in the park." Lily meets Milly who doesn't like to read. She likes to go on adventures. The girls form a strong friendhsip. Together each girl gets the other girl to engage in their type of adventure.

What's interesting about the illustrations are that Lily and her Mom do not clearly identify with one race. They could be listed as Asian, Hawaiian, Caucasion, Hispanic or a number of other races.