Card Me! Amelia Bedelia's First Library Card by Herman Parish

"NO FOOD OR DRINK IN THE LIBRARY," SAID THE LADY IN THE LOBBY.

AMELIA BEDELIA FINISHED HER JUICE BOX. SHE LOOKED AROUND FOR A PLACE TO PUT IT.

Little Amelia spots a receptacle with a monster with a slot which forms his wide mouth and a sign that says "FEED ME!"

Neat, she thinks. This library has a trash can just for kids, and she stuffs the juice box through the monster's mouth, just as the library lady brings the group over to show them where to return books. Uh, Oh! Amelia Bedelia is embarrassed to think of her sticky juice box dripping inside the book return box with the returned books.

But the children's librarian is cool.

"WE'LL CHECK THIS IN TO THE TRASH," SHE SAYS.

Next Mrs. Reilly says it's time to visit the stacks.

AMELIA BEDELIA DIDN'T SEE ANY STACKS!

Little Amelia is still looking for stacks of something as they head for the Children's Room, where the librarian reminds the children that if they return their books after the date due, they'll get a FINE. Well, Amelia Bedelia thinks, that beats a TERRIBLE, any day!

In the ongoing adventures of the first-grader Amelia Bedelia, there's many a misunderstanding, a ton of puns, and a mix of malapropisms in the process of acquiring her first library card and taking care of her first library book.  Into each life some rain must fall, and little Amelia finds that books can get wet in a thunderstorm as quickly as she can, but the Bedelia family soon has a new bibliophile in Herman Parish's latest, Amelia Bedelia's First Library Card (Greenwillow, 2013).  With a beguiling character like the young Amelia Bedelia, piquantly portrayed by illustrator Lynn Avril, and a useful introduction to the process of becoming a proper public library patron, this latest in the Young Amelia Bedelia series makes a great lead-in to a visit to the library for individual kids or class field trips.