Kevin Goes to the Library

Karel & Kaatje

by Liesbet Slegers

A young boy describes his experiences at the library in this educational tale. Kevin enjoys selecting a number of wonderful pictures books to take home from the library. He brings his choices to a counter to be scanned by a computer and is excited to discover that he doesn’t need to pay for them. For days he reads each book aloud with his parents until it is finally time to return them and select a new batch. Filled with bright and lively illustrations, this charming story explores the cyclical nature of borrowing library books and emphasizes the many joys of reading.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Family

30 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Liesbet Slegers (1975, Belgium) studied Graphics and Illustrations at the Saint-Lucas institute of Antwerp. She works as a fulltime graphic designer and illustrator. With her simple, recognizable style and vivid colours she knows how to attract the attention of every toddler. In her many books, Slegers frequently focuses on the first experience of a toddler," a time she characterized as "exciting but also very scary! I try to help them with my books," she added, "and also try to give the parents or teacher some assistance!"

Reviews

[Destiny Dawn Long · Rating 2 out of 5]

The illustrations are colorful, fun, and unique. Unfortunately I can't say the same for the prose. It's clunky. Sometimes it starts to feel redundant. There's a whole lot of it, and often it feels as if the narrator is an android instead of a little boy. I had hoped for more, because I love books about reading and libraries--but this didn't deliver.

[Mehsi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Een heel lief en relatable boek over een kleine jongen die naar de bibliotheek gaat met zijn vader en allerlei leuke boeken mag uitzoeken. We zien ook dat hij al snel een favoriet boek heeft en hoe die heel vaak gelezen moet worden. Ik vond zijn ouders ook leuk omdat ze hem motiveerden om nieuwe boekjes te proberen en ook een leuke uitleg hadden over waarom een boekje terug moest (zodat andere kinderen het boekje ook kunnen lezen). Ik heb echt genoten van dit boek en ik hoop ook zeker dat Karel altijd zo'n liefde heeft voor lezen.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A new series that Neo and I found today. Kevin is a little boy who goes on many adventures. Today he is headed to the library with his dad. There, he learns all about the wonders of books and how he can take them out on loan. After a period, he must go back with them, but there are so many others to find. A world of books! Neo and I do a weekly trip to the library (we need to do our reads for GR friends), so Neo knows just what Kevin is feeling when excitement around the library arises.

[Jvermeersch · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kan nuttig zijn als je een peuter/kleuter hebt die er geen vrede mee vindt om bibliotheekboeken te moeten terugbrengen. Verder niet zo inspirerend. Een echt bezoek aan de bib om een boek te halen werkt in mijn ogen overtuigender dan er een (ironisch: bib-)boek over lezen.

[Miss Ryoko · Rating 1 out of 5]

I literally stopped reading nearly all the pages halfway through because this book was so boring. Yeesh.

[Robert J · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kevin Goes to the Library is a good book for introducing a young child to the library system. Kevin goes to the library with his Dad for the first time and his father explains that he can take some books home. Kevin has never seen so many books and he doesn't have to pay to take books home. When it's time to take the books back, even his favorite book about the duck, his Mom explains that "other children want to take it home and read it too." This book has childlike illustrations and is printed on hard stock paper with a glossy finish for page protection making it a fine book for it's intended audience.

[Kevin Magpoc · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm partial because my name is Kevin and I also go to the library. But as a grown-up there's not much to say than to confirm that this is a cute and charming picture book about a child's first trip to the library and what makes it a worthwhile trip. I like the onomatopoeia made by the electronic scanner - and how many children's books about the library are that up-to-date anyway?

I hope they make a movie out of it.

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

Explores the cyclical nature of borrowing library books and emphasizes the many joys of reading as Kevin, a young boy, describes his experiences at the library.
A great series with wonderful bright illustrations. There is a lot of text on one page that could be shortened to make it accessible in story time for toddlers

[Andrea Bearden · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved how bright and colorful this book was. There was a little too much text for its intended audience but I liked the introduction of the library, and my 3 year old enjoyed it for the most part. He got ready for it to be over towards the end because as mentioned before there's too much text for its target audience.

[Tricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a fan of this series which shares with bold illustrations and about 4 sentences per page very basic ideas. In this title, a visit to the library as well as the concepts behind borrowing of materials are shared.

[Susan B · Rating 2 out of 5]

The illustrations are cute and colourful - by far the highlight of the book. The text is just okay. I didn't find anything unique or special in the account of a little boy enjoying his visit to the library.

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Little slice of life explaining library basics.

[Maggie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bright illustrations. I could tell that this was a translated version of an original as the wording was off.