“The Tiny Hero of Ferny Creek Library”
By Linda Bailey, iIllustrated by Victoria Jamieson.
Greenwillow Books, New York, 2017, 324 pages, Grades 3-4.
Books for younger readers advancing beyond picture books is always a challenge for authors. The stories must be interesting without having a complicated vocabulary. Additionally, since primary grade students have vivid imaginations, the books must have characters that spark their creative thoughts.
Linda Bailey has written a delightful story with all of these qualities. In the story, Eddie, a young green bug must go on a dangerous adventure to find and save his Aunt Min. The story is set in the Ferny Creek Elementary School with most of the adventures happening in the Ferny Creek School Library. The name of this charming story is “The Tiny Hero of Ferny Creek Library.”
Aunt Min is a very odd bug. She daringly leaves the gap behind the blackboard in the Fourth Grade Classroom and dodges her way to the school library. There, she hears many stories and learns to read before returning to the home behind the blackboard. Her nephew Eddie is enthralled with the idea of reading and yearns to learn the skill.
One day Aunt Min leaves the home and does not return. Eddie senses she is in trouble and is determined to leave his 53 brother and sisters and search for Aunt Min. His parents are terrified of his journey and try to stop him. But Eddie knows he must go on this dangerous adventure and search for Aunt Min.
Knowing her love of reading, Eddie stealthily uses his six legs to get to the library. The trouble is that the humans using the library want to squish all the bugs they find—“Squishers.” The problems get worse when a new adult Squisher takes over the library. She wants to get rid of books and turn the library into electronic internet hub. As a matter of fact, she has no use for books or librarians. They cost too much money.
However, as Eddie hears the stories being read to the little Squishers, he falls in love with reading. He is not alone. All the children want to read the picture books and other novels in the library, which will defeat the newly formed plan to wreck the library. So Eddie knows that he must now save the library and Aunt Min. But how can a green bug with six legs find Aunt Min while defeating those who want to destroy the library. He comes up with a plan. What is it?
Does Eddie save Aunt Min and rescue the library from disaster? How does he learn to write? Would you like to try to write with six legs? Eddie learns the word “nincompoop” means a foolish, uninformed person. Why does he think this word sums up the brainpower of those trying to close an elementary school library?
What happens to Aunt Min and the library? To find out the answers to these and other questions, go to the library and check out this warm and witty novel, “The Tiny Hero of Ferny Creek Library” by Linda Bailey.
Third- and fourth-graders will be attracted to this book. The story is funny and the feelings Eddie has about his family, along with the dangerous quest to save Aunt Min and the school library, will resonate with youngsters. It is particularly ironic that this book was published shortly before a recommendation was made in Nebraska to radically reduce the number of school librarians in the state. Maybe the people making this dense proposal should read this book and think about Eddie. Children will love this book and gain useful insights from the novel.
