Jack the Library Cat by Marietta Appollonio. Albert Whitman, 2023. 9780807537510
Rating: 1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 4
Format: ARC (publication date 3/1/23) picture book
What did you like about the book? Jack the cat loves libraries! He loves listening to the children read and watching them enjoy the library. He goes to the library all the time but, one day the librarian finds the cat and bans him from the library. Poor Jack! He loves going to the library so much! One day he finds a new friend, a boy named Pascal, who starts sneaking Jack into the library again. Jack and Pascal started spending time together in the library. This time when the librarian finds out about Jack, she comes up with a plan to incorporate the feline into the reading program.
This book is a great read. It blends the excitement of going to the library with animals! The illustrations look like color pencil drawings. I appreciated the racial diversity of all the children who come to the library for reading time. Pascal is a curly hair brown boy who comes to the library with his aunt who wears a hijab! It is a very visually inclusive book.
Anything you didn’t like about it? No
To whom would you recommend this book? This is a great book for students who love libraries. I would recommend this book for readers 3 – 6 years old.
Who should buy this book? Early learning centers and elementary schools
Where would you shelve it? Picture books
Should we (librarians/readers) put this on the top of our “to read” piles? Yes
Reviewer’s Name, Library (or school), City and State: Rose Metayer, Boston Latin School, Boston MA
Date of review: December 8, 2022
Youth Services Book Review 
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