Why do we take library books back?

Think of a library book in your hands. Feel its smooth cover and turn its bright pages. Picture the one with your favourite animals inside.

After a few weeks, your grown-up says it is time to take it back. But you love that book! So why do we take library books back?

The books in a library belong to everyone in your town. Nobody keeps them for good. Instead, you borrow a book, which means taking it home for a while and then giving it back.

At the desk, the librarian helps you borrow your book. The librarian gives you a due date, which means the day your book needs to go back. That way, the book does not stay away too long.

Lots of other children want that same book. While it sits at your house, they cannot read it. They wait for their turn.

So before the due date, you and your grown-up carry the book back. You hand it to the librarian at the desk. What do you think happens to your book next?

The librarian puts it back on the shelf. Soon another child spots it and gets to borrow it. Now that child giggles at the very pictures you loved.

When every family brings books back, the shelves stay full. There is a book waiting for every child, and one for you too.

Let's remember our words: borrow, due date. Everyone shares library books, so we bring them back for the next child to borrow.

Sweet dreams, little reader, and happy reading on your next library visit.