Please Bury Me in the Library

Bibliography

Lewis, Patrick. 2005. PLEASE BURY ME IN A LIBRARY. Ill by Kyle M. Stone. Orlando, Fla: Gulliver Books/Harcourt. ISBN 0152163875

Plot Summary

Please Bury Me in a Library is a collection of sixteen independent poems that spotlight the joys and experiences of reading books, crafting letters into words, and surrounding yourself in a library filled with books. Creatively crafted, Lewis has put together a collection that captures the essence of the joy we get when reading.

Critical Analysis

Lewis has created a mixture of verses that include: acrostic, rhyming, free verse, and haiku. Some are very simple rhymes that must be read aloud, while others are more sophisticated making it more challenging to read. In the first poem “What If Books Had Different Names”?, Lewis does a play on words changing the names of many different titles into something very silly (What if books had different names/ Like Alice in …Underland?/ Furious George,/ Goodnight Noon). This comical poem is easy to read and will spark young children to create their very own. Others like “Are You a Book Person?” seem a bit more serious and require you to read it several times to understand the deeper meaning (She has a spine,/ A heart, a soul,/ And a goal---/ To capture, to amuse,/ To light a fire).

While these poems range in complexity, they also range in length. “A Classic” for example has only four lines but is very powerful (A children’s book is a classic/ If at six, excitedly/ You read it to another kid/ Who just turned sixty-three). Others like“Please Bury Me in the Library” and “Eating Alphabet Soup are longer rhyming poems. Lewis has even crafted his acknowledgements at the back of the book in rhyming verse.

The use of acrylic paint and mixed media give the illustrations a child-like quality. Warm tones are used throughout the book with images of children and animals that seem magical. Comical images like the small child standing on a tree stub in a bare forest reading a book captures the meaning behind “Great, Good, Bad”. These illustrations compliment each poem nicely adding excitement and depth.

Reviews

Library Media Connection: “Although this beautifully illustrated picture book of clever poems is primarily for young children, it will tickle the fancy of most book lovers.”

Booklist: “Lewis' poetry is continually clever, whether pithily summing up children's classics (a book that is excitedly read by a kid of 6 to another kid of 63) or capturing the thrill of reading in the dark.”

Connections

Other poetry books by Patrick Lewis include:

Lewis, Patrick. THE BOOKWORM’S FEAST. ISBN 0803716923

Lewis, Patrick. A WORLD OF WONDERS: GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELS IN VERSE AND RHYME. ISBN 0803725795