by Moe Zilla

Created on: March 06, 2010

"Our Librarian Won't Tell Us Anything" was actually written by a librarian - or at least, a School Library Media Specialist. Toni Buzzeo worked in libraries for 16 years, according to the book's jacket, and even serves on the executive board of the Maine Association of School Libraries. So it's a safe bet that in her book, she'll send a positive message about the excitement of libraries. In her photograph, Buzzeo even wears the same rhinestone peacock glasses as the librarian in her book - the infamous Mrs. Skorupski.

Mrs. Skorupski wears tarantula earrings, and in the library the children all crowd around her. She's carrying a video camera, and her eyeglasses are sparkling. The narrator - a little boy - plans to ask where the library has its animal books. "Don't even bother," a little girl warns him. "Our librarian won't tell us anything!"

But if anything, Mrs. Skorupski is TOO enthusiastic. She promises mammal books, bird books, reptile books, and fish books, adding "I could lock you in here for a year and you'd still be reading. Well, if you didn't starve first." So where are they? She doesn't lead the narrator to any books, but instead leads the narrator to a computer, and demands that he sit. "Her tarantulas bobbed near my cheek. She pointed to an icon on the screen..."

The boy performs a search, and reads up on the available library books. He jots call numbers down on the catalog slips, then turns to Mrs. Skorupski for help. "Okily dokily," she replies. "Now use the shelf labels to find them." When he points out that he'd asked her to show him the book's location, she smiles and replies, "Yes. You certainly did..."

It's teaching an obvious lesson - so it's a good thing the drawings are funny. All the children have simple round faces, and every character has a big smile on their face. (Even Mrs. Skorupski!) SachikoYoshikawa started her career as a jewelry designer, but then moved into collages, mixed media, and "narrative illustration." So she knows how to draw a big reaction into her characters, and to use colors that are bright and happy.

Their homework assignment sounds complicated, and this time the narrator needs to search on the web. Mrs. Skorupski - apparently a fan of Microsoft software - tells the boy to click on the big blue "e" to launch a web browser and find it himself. At the end of the book, a new student arrives, and the narrator finally reveals what he's learned. Mrs. Skorupski may not answer questions, but still, with all of the multimedia resources available, "Our librarian can teach you anything..."

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