Review Detail

LEILONG THE LIBRARY BUS is the story of a dinosaur and his friends who are going to the library. They are so excited that they travel too quickly and get stopped by a police officer who reminds them to slow down. Once they arrive, Leilong is denied entry because he is too big and does not have a library card. The kids promise to bring him dinosaur books, and they head up to storytime. Leilong pokes his head in and gets into the story - a little too much, and his growls shake the library and makes the books fall down. The librarian comes and tells him he has to leave as he doesn't have a library card.

When Leilong leaves, the children leave with him. With the empty library, the librarians reconsider and decide to make Leilong a library bus that will carry books to everyone.

What I loved: This was an overall cute story, and I loved the clever dinosaur living among people and loving reading. The love and fun of books certainly comes across in their excitement to get to the library and to enjoy storytime (Little Red Riding Hood). There is a lot of whimsy in the story with an imaginative take on what life could be like with a dinosaur for a pet. The length of the story will work for a wide range of ages from preschool and up.

What left me wanting more: I found the plot a bit challenging with fierce librarians and sudden changes of heart that also put Leilong to work (instead of opening the library up to everyone or finding a way for Leilong to join in on the current library). I would have liked a bit more for the later parts and less of the build-up in getting to the library to re-focus the story. The illustrations are sketch-like and felt difficult to focus on in places, but it is a style that will appeal to some readers.

Final verdict: LEILONG THE LIBRARY BUS is an intriguing story about a dinosaur's trip to the library.