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Ronan the Librarian
Ronan was a mighty barbarian.
He invaded. He raided. And back home, he traded.
He always found the greatest treasures.
Until one day, Conan found something no barbarian wants:
A BOOK.
This humorous picture book from sister duo Tara Luebbe and Becky Cattie and illustrator Victoria Maderna follows Ronan the Barbarian as he he grows from being just a rough-and-tumble warrior to a rough-and-tumble warrior who loves books.
At first, his fellow barbarians are skeptical of his newfound passion for reading, but in the end, even they aren't immune to the charms of a good book.
He invaded. He raided. And back home, he traded.
He always found the greatest treasures.
Until one day, Conan found something no barbarian wants:
A BOOK.
This humorous picture book from sister duo Tara Luebbe and Becky Cattie and illustrator Victoria Maderna follows Ronan the Barbarian as he he grows from being just a rough-and-tumble warrior to a rough-and-tumble warrior who loves books.
At first, his fellow barbarians are skeptical of his newfound passion for reading, but in the end, even they aren't immune to the charms of a good book.
40 pages, Hardcover
First published April 21, 2020
7 people are currently reading
1862 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 139 reviews
November 22, 2020
This is a cute historical fiction for beginning readers. Ronan is a barbarian who leads his people in the best raids. One day, a chest he stole is full of books and he's not sure what to do with such junk. He sees a picture that gets his interest and then a sentence which leads to a paragraph and a chapter and before you know it he is hooked on a book. He begins reading all the books that the can and all his friends are worried about him. He is acting so strange and not himself. He builds a library and his kinsmen don't care, accept for the food.
There are cute ideas in here and it's funny. I can see kids laughing at all the little things in this story. I don't think it's the greatest thing ever, but I think it will appeal to many people. I like the scenery in the artwork. The people could use some more details, in my opinion.
I love that the book is about reading and stories. Ronan is funny and I love his gusto for the word.
Tara is putting out a 2nd book in the series so I think we are going to get more Ronan.
There are cute ideas in here and it's funny. I can see kids laughing at all the little things in this story. I don't think it's the greatest thing ever, but I think it will appeal to many people. I like the scenery in the artwork. The people could use some more details, in my opinion.
I love that the book is about reading and stories. Ronan is funny and I love his gusto for the word.
Tara is putting out a 2nd book in the series so I think we are going to get more Ronan.
October 24, 2020
"Ronan was a mighty barbarian---a leader of his people.
He invaded.
He raided.
And back home, he traded....
Until one raid went horribly wrong.
'What's this?' he roared. 'This is worthless.'"
What was Ronan to do? He'd found a chest of books. Barbarians didn't read books. Then he gave a book a try, and he discovered they were oddly compelling. It did not take long, and Ronan was obsessed with books. And he decided it was time to share books with his world.
Nothing warms the heart of this librarian like a book about books, a book that reveals the delights of reading to a non-reading sector of the world, a book like Ronan the Librarian. And who better to convert to the joys of books than barbarians.
Uff da!
He invaded.
He raided.
And back home, he traded....
Until one raid went horribly wrong.
'What's this?' he roared. 'This is worthless.'"
What was Ronan to do? He'd found a chest of books. Barbarians didn't read books. Then he gave a book a try, and he discovered they were oddly compelling. It did not take long, and Ronan was obsessed with books. And he decided it was time to share books with his world.
Nothing warms the heart of this librarian like a book about books, a book that reveals the delights of reading to a non-reading sector of the world, a book like Ronan the Librarian. And who better to convert to the joys of books than barbarians.
Uff da!
October 21, 2020
Ronan is a fierce barbarian. The best at finding all kinds of treasures...and one day he finds a book. What does a barbarian want with a book?! Then Ronan does something unexpected: he READS the book! And discovers that books are wonderful treasures. So he sets out to gather all the books...but he can convince his fellow barbarians that books are worth raiding?!
Tara Luebbe and Becky Cattie’s Ronan The Librarian is a laugh-out-loud, joy filled picture book that beautifully celebrates the power of books and reading!
Luebbe and Cattie’s fun, clever storytelling; captivating barbarian world, and irresistibly charming Ronan, will delight and entertain little readers. Victoria Maderna brings Ronan’s wild world to life with the most engaging and whimsical illustrations, full of bright colors and funny scenes.
Full of silly word choices, sweet heart, and the most lovable barbarian you’ll ever meet, Ronan the Librarian is fantastic!
Tara Luebbe and Becky Cattie’s Ronan The Librarian is a laugh-out-loud, joy filled picture book that beautifully celebrates the power of books and reading!
Luebbe and Cattie’s fun, clever storytelling; captivating barbarian world, and irresistibly charming Ronan, will delight and entertain little readers. Victoria Maderna brings Ronan’s wild world to life with the most engaging and whimsical illustrations, full of bright colors and funny scenes.
Full of silly word choices, sweet heart, and the most lovable barbarian you’ll ever meet, Ronan the Librarian is fantastic!
June 18, 2020
Give me a punny book about a barbarian librarian any day! Lots of humor and action, but also a deeper message about being open to new experiences and ideas. Loved it!
September 10, 2021
Cute picture book with a fun take on the importance of reading. My favorite part was the rules and advice board inside the library.
September 14, 2020
A super adorable little book about a barbarian who always finds the greatest treasures when he raids villages, but one day, the only thing he finds is a book! And nobody wants a book. So he opens it to see if maybe he can do something with the paper, but then accidentally reads the first line... short, cute, adorable art, and of course it's about the importance of stories and libraries, so obviously I enjoyed it. The raiding is thoroughly sanitized for little ears so you don't need to worry about that, and of course there's a bunch of subtle Conan the Barbarian jokes for the grownups. A fun little read. Recommended.
February 23, 2020
RONAN THE LIBRARIAN is a book I can TOTALLY see myself using at storytime!
Ronan is a barbarian who loves to steal and hoard treasure, but when he gets stuck with a book and accidentally gets hooked on the story, he discovers a new obsession...collecting books! He wants to share his newfound passion with his barbarian friends, but how can he get them to listen and give books a try?
.
This is a fun story that will make both kids and grown ups laugh.
Ronan is a barbarian who loves to steal and hoard treasure, but when he gets stuck with a book and accidentally gets hooked on the story, he discovers a new obsession...collecting books! He wants to share his newfound passion with his barbarian friends, but how can he get them to listen and give books a try?
.
This is a fun story that will make both kids and grown ups laugh.
October 26, 2020
What a hoot! Of course the librarian me LOVED this and all the clever little details sprinkled throughout like the book eating goat and the notices on the bulletin board. Book lovers of all ages and reluctant readers too will enjoy this really funny salute to the power of a good book.
This would make a fun story-time book although some of the details might be missed that a lap read will show better.
This would make a fun story-time book although some of the details might be missed that a lap read will show better.
June 6, 2020
Enjoyed this picture book that showcases the greatest treasures of all: books and readers. Fun illustrations will give my 4th and 5th graders lots to look at.
June 22, 2020
"He invaded. He raided. He read." "He invaded. He raided. He read."
Now I have that stuck in my head. I want to try this in storytime. Fun.
Now I have that stuck in my head. I want to try this in storytime. Fun.
August 28, 2021
Vikings are super popular and this is the first picture book that I have seen that discusses invading and raiding. Ronan caught the reading addiction bug. I thought this story really described what happens when you get lost in a good book. Reading is fun and this lets you know that you can add it to your daily activities.
April 11, 2022
Who doesn't love a good Barbarian?!
Amidst his pilfering and plundering, Ronan discovers a love of books. But when he tries to share his new passion with those around him, no one is very interested. Highly recommend.
Amidst his pilfering and plundering, Ronan discovers a love of books. But when he tries to share his new passion with those around him, no one is very interested. Highly recommend.
June 12, 2021
A very cute read!
October 26, 2020
Ronan does what most barbarians do until he ends up with a chest of books after a raid. After giving one book a try, he turns into a ravenous reader....even though barbarians don't read. This cute picture book about discovering the joy of reading was well-liked by my first-grade classes. There was even a bit of repetition that allowed them to actively participate in the reading.
October 21, 2020
It's no secret that I'm partial to books that are essentially love letters to books and reading, so it shouldn't be a huge surprise that I am a big fan of Ronan! Ronan once collected all of the best treasures, until one day he ended up with a bunch of books. At first he thinks maybe it would work for toilet paper, but then an illustration catches his eye. He quickly falls in love with reading and wants to share that love with everyone he knows. The only problem is that they just aren't that into it. Will his fellow barbarians learn to love reading too?
October 14, 2020
OMG so I got to borrow a copy from the library and I completely fell in love with the story of Ronan the barbarian who became Ronan the Librarian!. Such a fun picture book and I have already recommended it for story times and read alongs!
October 9, 2020
Even barbarians can be taught to love books! This one is hilarious, creative, and wonderfully illustrated.
Veg*n parents note: As might be expected in a town of barbarians, there are multiple scenes of characters eating large hunks of meat with bones, fishers carrying oversized dead fish, bearskin rugs, and so forth...so be prepared.
Veg*n parents note: As might be expected in a town of barbarians, there are multiple scenes of characters eating large hunks of meat with bones, fishers carrying oversized dead fish, bearskin rugs, and so forth...so be prepared.
July 31, 2020
Ronan is a barbarian and he has a barbarian crew. He is legendary when it comes to pillaging. But one raid didn’t fair so well because all he and his crew got were lots and lots of books. No one wanted to trade with him. One day a picture on a cover caught his eye and from that point on he couldn’t put books down. After each raid he made time to read. He had so many books that it was time for him to open a library for his village. The trick was to get the other barbarians to love books as much as he did. Do you think he could do it?
This humorous tale is great for kids who love to read. Colorfully illustrated with plenty of hilarious facial expressions makes this little treasure a fun read for beginners. Parents, teachers and caregivers will want to share this story before or after visiting the library which, by the way, is filled with all sorts of treasure.
This humorous tale is great for kids who love to read. Colorfully illustrated with plenty of hilarious facial expressions makes this little treasure a fun read for beginners. Parents, teachers and caregivers will want to share this story before or after visiting the library which, by the way, is filled with all sorts of treasure.
January 12, 2020
Ronan is a mighty barbarian known for finding the best pillage on their village raids. That is, until the day he comes home with nothing but a worthless book. The story follows Ronan’s transformation from fierce raider to voracious reader. It’s loaded with humor and laugh out loud moments, like when Ronan considers using the book for kindling or toilet paper. The text has tons of fun Viking references and silly phrases like “Uff da!” that add to the charm. The art is colorful and lively and has just as much humor as the text. This story about a barbarian turned librarian was thoroughly entertaining, and it had an important message about the role books play in changing lives and communities.
May 22, 2020
This book is wonderful! Brilliant word choices that bring this world to life and make us laugh out loud. My 3 y/o daughter is in love with Ronan As a character and has asked to read it daily since it arrived. She calls him the bad guy (Raiding barbarian) who's a good guy (read to find out!). She loves the goat eating the books and his fuzzy boar slippers— the illustrations are fantastic with lots of little Easter egg surprises. UFF DA! Get this book! Would be a great book for reluctant readers who love action and adventure.
May 22, 2020
This picture book is very cute. However, it requires its readers to more suspend disbelief than I could muster, since we're supposed to believe that barbarians that don't read could pick up books and find themselves 100% literate and immersed. I know that the point of the book is about how people can change, discover new things, and persuade their communities to join them, but I couldn't get past how unrealistic and impossible this was. Ronan the Librarian needed to start with reading lessons for him and for everyone else.
October 2, 2020
A raiding barbarian turns into a READING barbarian in this fun story.
Ronan is a barbarian who keeps busy raiding and collecting treasures. But one day he comes across a book, and wonders what he should do with it. Once he starts reading it, he's hooked! But the people of his village want to get back to raiding. How can he convince them that reading is fun?
We first heard this story through virtual story time from our local library. It had my 2nd grader begging to hear it again.
Ronan is a barbarian who keeps busy raiding and collecting treasures. But one day he comes across a book, and wonders what he should do with it. Once he starts reading it, he's hooked! But the people of his village want to get back to raiding. How can he convince them that reading is fun?
We first heard this story through virtual story time from our local library. It had my 2nd grader begging to hear it again.
January 8, 2020
Ronan the Librarian celebrates readers of all kinds, even the most reluctant, as well as the powerful role a librarian can play in sharing the love of story. Ronan is every kid who brings a book to the ballpark, every kid who finds a quiet corner to read at a party, and every kid whose imagination has been captured by page-turning adventure. The bold and colorful illustrations are perfectly paired with this funny text.
August 2, 2020
Entertaining tale of a clan of barbarians who invade and raid and trade, until one day their fearless leader comes home with a treasure box filled with books.
Kids enjoyed this book, full of humor, adventure and unexpected twists.
They did point out however that the barbarians are stealing things. ;)
Kids enjoyed this book, full of humor, adventure and unexpected twists.
They did point out however that the barbarians are stealing things. ;)
February 6, 2020
I loved Ronan the Librarian! What an amazing way to show kids the wonders of reading -- and in a picture book, so at such an early age! Ronan is the cutest little raider and pillager ever, and the story flows out in sweet, barbaric prose. Kids will laugh, and parents will love how much their kids are learning to enjoy books!
July 28, 2019
One of my favorite books by Tara and Becky! Ronan breaks all stereotypes in this super clever story full of silly literary puns. A great read for young (and old) readers, and anyone who appreciates a good librarian.
September 23, 2020
Ronan becomes a reader and wants to share the books he reads with his people. But they just tell him "Barbarians don't read" until one day when he reads a story a loud and later they break down the doors of the library to read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 3, 2019
I've read an advanced copy. The text is engaging. The art is spot on with fun details to find. A fun take on the importance of literacy and libraries as Ronan trades his raiding for reading instead.
October 27, 2019
A funny book that shows the joy of reading for EVERYONE, including little barbarians.
January 21, 2020
This is such an entertaining story about a non-reader barbarian who becomes a reluctant reader who becomes obsessed with books and turns into a librarian. Hilarious! Fun! Engaging!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 139 reviews