I think this book is more for the intermediate level students or read aloud to primary level however it is a long book. It is a good story of a young girl experiencing a change in her life and she finds a library that helps her discover a love for reading.

Like so many of Patricia Polacco’s picture books, this is a warm story about a significant time in her own childhood. The narrative opens with young Trisha taking a final tractor ride with Grampa, carefully avoiding areas in the fields where thatchers nest with their hatchlings. Trisha’s bubbie has recently died and Grampa has sold the farm. He will move to Indiana to live with relatives. The farm has also been home to Trisha, her brother Richie, and her mother, so it’s hard to leave all the farm animals and the natural world for Battle Creek, Michigan, where their mother has a teaching job. Grampa reassures Trisha that there will be birds in the city. He’s right: there’s a robin’s nest right outside her bedroom window in the old coach house they’re renting from an older lady. There’s also a library not far away, where Trisha discovers books that feature the paintings of famous artists, confirming for her that this is exactly the work she wants to do.

Trisha is taken under the wing of a nurturing librarian, Mrs. Creavy who secretively takes her high, high, high up in the palatial building to see the special John James Audubon collection. The grade-one nature walks that Trisha’s teacher, Miss Bice, has regularly taken the class on, the viewing of Audubon’s works, and Tricia’s own love of birds lead to her to suggest that birds should be their class’s theme for parents’ night. Her classmates wholeheartedly agree and insist that Trisha’s drawings of birds should be featured. Mrs. Creavy visits the joyfully decorated “bird-santuary” room, full of the children’s avian art. An official accompanies the librarian, and Tricia receives a special honour. The Michigan state chairman of the Audubon bird clubs of America declares her the first member of her school’s bird club. Her classmates will all be members, too.

Polacco’s narrative mentions her struggle with reading, and in her afterword she explains that only years later did she discover that she had dyslexia, dysnomia (an impaired ability to recall words, names, and objects), as well as dysgraphia (a neurological disorder of written expression characterized by problems with fine motor skills and writing ability in general). The sadness of being academically behind her classmates is communicated in the book, but the greater message of warm, encouraging, loving adults who nurtured her curiosity and talents shines bright. ( )

First sentence: It was a sunny day.

Premise/plot: Patricia Polacco is sharing memories from her childhood in her newest book Palace of Books. As a young girl, she moved from the country [family farm] to a bigger city. She writes of going to school and discovering the library. But as a young child especially, she's drawn more to ART and NATURE (particularly BIRDS, BIRDS, BIRDS, BIRDS, MORE BIRDS) than to reading and writing. She has no interest in the children's section of the library--she doesn't want to read books--but she's super-drawn to the adult art section. The librarian befriends her and teaches her about John James Audubon and the Audubon Bird Club.

My thoughts: I really wanted to love and adore this one. Patricia Polacco has written some of my favorite picture books (for older readers). Usually her picture books are super-text-heavy. (I don't mind a bit.) She tells (often) stories from her family tree. She writes what she knows, and knows what she writes. This fits in exactly with what she's done in the past. So if you are a fan of her books, then chances are you'll appreciate this one too.

My expectations were too high. I saw PALACE OF BOOKS and thought this would be a book about books, a book about the glory of books, a book about the magical wonder of discovering books, about libraries as being the place to discover your people, your place to belong, your home away from home. And, in part, I suppose it is. It does celebrate her relationship with one librarian. But what I wasn't expecting--because I didn't read the description at all--was birds, birds, birds, birds, birds, and more birds. I couldn't relate to wanting to learn more about birds, liking to bird-watch, drawing birds, etc. This hobby is the primary focus of the book.

Reading is so subjective. I can appreciate many things about this one and still not personally love it. ( )

I’m always thrilled when a new Patricia Polacco picture book becomes available. The Libby e-edition was available to borrow before the library had the hardcover ready to borrow so I’ve read the e-book first. I didn’t want to wait. I’m at the beginning of the queue for the hardcover edition and I plan to also read it but from what I could tell I have no complaints about the Libby e-edition.

This book is another winner from Patricia Polacco.

The illustrations in this book might be my favorites by her. I particularly liked the images of the birds and also of all the nature scenes. My e-book did not have page numbers. For the first time I read a Libby edition and was not offered a Kindle edition. My favorite image might be the one just a few pages in. It’s of swallows diving and circling in the sky with beautiful background images.

This is a touching and multifaceted story. It tells of one brief period when the author/illustrator lived in a Michigan city, after leaving her grandparents’ farm and before her family’s move to California. I was glad to quickly get away from the animal farm and to the city with its wild birds and even the Kellogg Bird Sanctuary and to her school life too and to her library experiences.

She writes about the librarian who introduced her to the paintings (in books) of John James Audubon. Patricia knew birds and liked to paint them. She writes about the importance of that library to her. Rather than using the books in the children’s section she liked looking at the fancy art books that had to be read on site. She was already interested in being an artist. I had to laugh when during her first solo library visit, after her mother said she could borrow books to bring home from the library, she tried to walk out with an expensive art book not available for borrowing, and before she had a library card. Yes, it was predictable but I still found it amusing and cute.

She writes about how she stayed in the lowest reading group at school and eventually was the only student in it and didn’t understand why reading was hard for her. I hate grouping kids by ability especially when it’s made obvious to all who is in which group. The saving grace was that she had a great first grade teacher who valued her knowledge of birds and her artistic talent. Her mother was the kindergarten teacher with a room across the hall. Because of her work on a class project and her interest in birds she was named the first member of the Audubon bird club at her elementary school. I love how at about age 6 (maybe 7) her mother was fine with her going on her own from school or home a few blocks away to the library. I remember those days too. I still know children who have that freedom but I know and know of plenty of children who do not, at least not at that relatively young age.

I always like Polacco’s books that take place in California because she lived just across the bay from me and in a town I know fairly well. I like most of her personal books though, including this one. Yes, I came close to tears a couple of times. I often feel emotionally touched when reading her books.

In the back of the book as part of the author’s note there is a photo of the real library and a photo of the library card she had back then when she was in first grade. She says she still has the Audubon bird club pin that she got over sixty years ago. Her keeping mementos and family heirlooms make it into her books and they make them richer. They’re a gift to her readers. She also writes about how it was only in later years that she learned she has dyslexia, dysnomia, and dysgraphia. She thanks Mrs. Creavy the librarian who introduced her to Audubon’s paintings that inspired her and helped her school classmates get their Audubon membership cards.

I love how this author uses her books to thank librarians and teachers who helped her thrive during her sometimes difficult school years.

This is a great book. I recommend it especially to children who love birds and who love nature, children who like to paint and/or make other art, children with any sort of learning difference or disability, and maybe children who need to move or have moved areas and schools. Children who have any particular passion are also likely to appreciate this book. Also highly recommended for librarians and for teachers. This story is a good reminder of how they can have a huge impact on children.

4-1/2 stars ( )