This has been one of my absolute favorites for years. Cute characters, a friendly but quick story, and beautiful bold pictures. It was only when a first grader asked me "but what is the book about?" that I realized it was also a fun little overview of library services, including the community room/activities, assistance in finding and selecting books, and circulation services. ( )

"'What is the matter, Miss Wolf?' asked the little librarian. 'Something very sad happened in my story and I can't read it anymore,' replied the wolf."

I feel you, miss wolf.

The best part of this book is the stubborn tortoise who gets his library book tied to his shell with ribbon by two library owls.

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A little librarian and her three owl assistants keep the eponymous Midnight Library running smoothly in this sweet picture-book from Japanese author/illustrator Kazuno Kohara. Helping all of the animal patrons find that right book, making sure the squirrel band finds a place to practice their music, reassuring a distraught little wolf that her story will turn out well, the librarian keeps busy...

Having enjoyed Kohara's Ghosts in the House! and Here Comes Jack Frost!, I decided to track down The Midnight Library, and I'm glad that I did. The simple text and cute, graphically-striking artwork combine to create an appealing little confection of a picture-book, one that would make an excellent bedtime read-aloud, especially for young children who love the library. ( )

A little girl moonlights as a librarian at a night-time library. When a few animals start causing problems, she finds solutions as only a librarian can. This is a great book for future librarians and any bibliophile. ( )

I wasn't going to put this up on Goodreads, but goll darn, this is such a cute book! Not only is this such a cute book, it is a cute book about libraries. HECK YEAH! This young librarian runs a special library which is only open at night, and she has three owl assistants. The library is populated by animal patrons, some who have obstacles which the librarian and her assistants help them overcome. I love the art work and how cute all the characters are. I think this would be an excellent book to read to kids in Kindergarten and preschool. A charming book about this special library. Very, very glad I checked this out from the library. ( )