There's a new school librarian in town, and the students are not happy. They loved Ms. Stack and are devastated that she moved away, but vibrant, funny cartoon-style illustrations, created with watercolor, ink, and pencil, signal that the tone will not remain morose. The first image of Ms. Bangle entering a room makes an impressive statement. Filling the doorway with her green pants, red clogs, flowered socks, brown skin, hair piled high on her head, and an overflowing armful of books, she immediately dispels any idea of a "shushing librarian." She looks fun; she looks energetic; she looks ready to read! The kids, however, are not convinced. They brush off all of Ms. Bangle's attempts to engage them, but Ms. Bangle has a few tricks up her bright yellow sleeve. Sly humor, creative problem-solving, and a book series called Daisy (that really should exist) combine to help the children give Ms. Bangle a chance. An entertaining entry to add to "first day of school" collections.

Change can be challenging but good.Summer's over, and the Belford Elementary students are thrilled to return to school. But when they learn that Ms. Stack, their librarian, has moved away, they hatch a plan to refuse to read with the new librarian, Ms. Bangle, until Ms. Stack returns. A brown-skinned, large, vivacious woman, Ms. Bangle wears a huge puffball on the top of her head and clothing with lots of colors and patterns. Instead of resisting the students' rejection of her, she thanks them for giving her the day off and puts them to work on (boring) library chores, including taking empty boxes to the basement, where they're all afraid to go. Steele's thick-lined illustrations, featuring racially diverse characters with large, bulging eyes, capture the kids' excitement about being back in school and their solidarity in their plan to get Ms. Stack to come back. The illustrations also convey Ms. Bangle's liveliness: She enters the library with a stack of notebooks on her shoulder and moves so fast that colored papers fly out behind her. The colorful posters on the walls, stuffed animals atop the shelves, and the sewing machine on which Ms. Bangle hems her pants while the kids suffer through chores hint at the delights the students are missing. But this Black librarian is both fun-loving and clever, which leads to a satisfying ending. (This book was reviewed digitally.)A charming portrayal of a whimsical trickster librarian who knows how to get kids reading. (Picture book. 4-7)

When they learn that beloved school librarian Ms. Stack has moved away over the summer, the kids at Belford Elementary, portrayed with various skin tones, determine to stonewall the new staffer. “They would refuse, refuse, REFUSE to read with her,” Devins writes in emphatically funny prose. Even when Black-presenting Ms. Bangle rolls in cracking jokes and selects a “truly terrific”-looking book, the group sticks with their plan. The new librarian’s clever response proves “brilliant”: acknowledging that she can’t change their minds and readily agreeing to call it a day, she delegates her duties to the children, an act that quickly causes them to reverse course. In a sly picture book portrait of a schoolroom power struggle, Steele’s cartoony young figures have wide googly eyes, expressive mouths, and palpable-feeling energy that aligns with their determination. Ages 3–5. (June)

PreS-Gr 2— Ms. Bangle, who is Black, is the new librarian at Belford Elementary, and she knows how to pick books that students love. The very first picture of her—wearing plaid pants, red clogs, sunflower socks, a gigantic bun, and with a pile of books balanced on her shoulder with loose sheets of paper flying around—conveys her energy, her goofiness, and her charm. However, the diverse students don't want to give her a chance. Change can be hard, and they believe they should remain loyal to their former librarian, an elderly woman who was kind. When the students refuse to listen to her story, Ms. Bangle doesn't protest. Instead, she gives the students jobs in the library while she takes the afternoon off. Before long, the students realize that library work stinks and that hearing a story might not be so bad. In fact, after listening to the story with Ms. Bangle, they realize their new librarian is pretty great, and pretty sneaky about getting them to accept her. The bright, watercolor illustrations capture the upbeat mood of the story, and the large eyes on the children showcase their uncertainty and wonder equally well. VERDICT A story that celebrates librarians, reading, and how the right teacher can ease the fear of change.— Sally A. James