Explore the Amazing Collection of the British Library
Written by Mick Manning, Illustrated by Brita Granström
Books! Books! Books! By Mick Manning and Brita Granström is a comprehensive beginner’s guide to the British Library. It goes over the eclectic collection of documents that can be found in that library, from the Magna Carta, the works of Shakespeare, Alice in Wonderland, the notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci, and Handel’s Music of the Royal Fireworks. It gives a brief history of each of item and explains why they are important to study.
One of the things that drew me to the book was the artwork by Brita Ganström. She uses a mix-media art form that consists of cutouts and pencil drawings, making it all seem three-dimensional. Each page is fun and unique.
I was disappointed in the writing. The flow of the book is very choppy and I had to stop several times to reread a sentence until it made sense. The page length was also choppy. The author could not decide how much information should be on a page; some pages are too long (it’s a picture book.) He also has a section on British Literature, but ends to talk about science, then he goes back to talk about literature (this happens twice). He should have put literature as one section and then moved on. As it stands right now, it is too jumbled, like he is jumping between thoughts.
Books! Books! Books! could be used in the classroom setting during Country Reports. A student could use it when describing famous or interesting buildings in England. They can also gain some history on famous English figures: Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, etc.
Review by Alyssa Carraway, Library Media Program / Educational Technology Dept.
Rating: ★★½✩✩ (2.5 stars)
Interest Level: Grades 5-6
Books! Books! Books!: Explore the Amazing Collection of the British Library
Written by Mick Manning, Illustrated by Brita Granström
Candlewick Press
42 pages
Release Date: September 5, 2017
A review copy was provided by the publisher.
