Sanders, Rob. Family of Readers, A. Gabbie Benda, Illus. Charlesbridge, 01/2026. [32]pp. Picture Book. Trade $17.99. 978-1-62354-647-2. GRADES Preschool–2. HIGH ADDITIONAL.
The library has something for everyone in this celebration of all that libraries offer the community. Using a Seuss-like rhyming text, the story centers around a family that visits the library and sees older men reading newspapers, tweens building robots, children enjoying a storytime, chefs of all ages baking, gardeners planting, and a group playing Dungeons and Dragons, all while one child reads undistracted. The digitally-created cartoon-style illustrations depict people of various ethnicities, ages, and abilities, including someone using a wheelchair, to show how a library is often the definition of inclusion. Both the jaunty text and the artwork show a suburban library that many communities will recognize as similar to their own, with a small child in overalls in each spread. A great choice to read to primary grade classes visiting the library on a field trip.
Penny Peck—San José State University iSchool