BEVERLY BILLINGSLY BORROWS A BOOK

Beverly (a little hippo) is sky-high when she gets her first library card. She’s soon deliberating on the possibilities, finally choosing Dinosaurs of the Cretaceous Period. She is so smitten by the scholarly tome—“Beverly woke up early to finish the final chapter, ‘Eating Habits of the Triceratops’. ”—that she misses the return date by a day. When she asks a friend what might be the consequences for an overdue library book, the friend offers the opinion that a $1,000 fine may be forthcoming. Another friend notes that he thinks prison time is a common punishment for late books. This information, understandably, puts Beverly off her feed, which runs up a flag for her parents, who calm her fears and go with her on the dreaded return of the book. Troubles shared are troubles halved, or in this case, troubles sent packing, once they are shared with the right people. The librarian (a pointy-beaked bird lady) understands, and she points out another child (a rhinoceros) who is waiting for the return of the book. Beverly is as unpretentious as sensible shoes, as is newcomer Stadler, whose drawings are gently colored gouache, outlined in heavy, squiggly, black ink, giving them the heft of granite but the warmth of old brick. A refreshingly welcome new library story. (Picture book. 3-7)