The Loud Librarian

by Jenna Beatrice, illustrated by Erika Lynne Jones

A librarian who can't help being loud turns the library upside down — a funny, joyful story about being yourself, even when you don't quite fit the mold.

Big Idea

There's a time and place for everything — even being loud — and learning to match your volume to the setting is a life skill.

Discussion Questions

1.Why is the librarian loud? Is that a problem?
2.When is it okay to be loud? When should you be quiet?
3.How do other people react to her volume?
4.Have you ever been too loud at the wrong time?

Lesson Plan

⏱ 30 minutes📦 A short reading passage, 'volume dial' visual (optional)

Learning Goals

Match voice volume to the appropriate setting.
Understand how noise affects others.
Practice reading aloud at controlled volumes.
Self-regulate volume in the classroom.

Activity Steps

1.Read the book, noting how the librarian's volume causes chaos.
2.Discuss when it's appropriate to be loud vs. quiet.
3.Practice reading a passage at three volume levels.
4.Reflect on which volume fits which setting.

Standards Connections

ELA: RL.K.1 — Ask and answer questions about key details
ELA: RL.K.2 — Retell stories, including key details
ELA: RL.K.3 — Describe characters, setting, and events
ELA: RL.2.6 — Acknowledge differences in characters' points of view
ELA: SL.K.1 — Participate in collaborative conversations about the text
ELA: W.K.3 — Write narratives recounting events with descriptive details
SEL: Self-Awareness
SEL: Social Awareness
Art: VA:Re7 — Perceive and analyze artistic work

Pace-Write-Read Study with Pace-Write It!

Focus question: How does an author make a story feel lively, funny, and fast while also helping us understand a character’s heart? In The Loud Librarian by Jenna Beatrice, illustrated by Erika Lynne Jones, a librarian who is naturally loud creates a joyful kind of chaos in a place where quiet is expected. The story’s pacing moves with energetic moments, funny contrasts, and well-timed pauses so readers can feel both the problem of not fitting in and the celebration of being yourself.

Element	How to notice or teach it in the novel
Pace	Read: Notice how the story moves quickly when the loud librarian’s big voice shakes up the quiet library and then slows at key moments so readers can think about how she feels when she does not fit the usual library mold. Classroom Activity: Write 3 short sentences about a character who accidentally changes a quiet place, making the first sentence calm, the second fast and busy, and the third slower and thoughtful.
Plot	Read: Notice the clear story path: the librarian’s loudness causes problems in the library, the situation builds with funny disruptions, and the story moves toward a joyful understanding of her true self. Classroom Activity: Make a beginning-middle-end organizer and write one sentence for each part about a character whose special trait first causes trouble and then helps.
Prosody	Read: Listen to how the words would sound aloud as the loud librarian’s voice fills the library; the read-aloud feeling helps the pacing bounce between noisy humor and quieter reflection. Classroom Activity: Write 2 lines of dialogue for a character with a big voice and practice reading one line loudly and one line softly to hear the difference.
Word pause	Read: Notice places where a strong word or short phrase would make readers pause and picture the librarian’s loud presence against the usual hush of a library. Classroom Activity: Write a sentence about a surprising sound in a quiet place and underline the one word you want readers to pause on.
Concept	Read: Notice that the main idea is self-acceptance: the loud librarian does not become a different person, and the pacing helps show her journey from mismatch to celebration. Classroom Activity: Write one sentence that names a trait you have or invent a trait for a character, then write a second sentence explaining how that trait can be a strength.
Voice & World View	Read: Notice how the story treats the loud librarian with warmth and joy, showing a world view that differences are not flaws to erase. Classroom Activity: Write 2 sentences in a cheerful voice about a character who sees the world in a bold, happy way even when others are unsure.
Setting & Place	Read: Notice how the library setting matters because it is usually linked with quiet, which makes the librarian’s loudness feel even bigger and funnier. Classroom Activity: Choose a place with a strong rule, like a library, museum, or classroom, and write 2 sentences about a character whose behavior does not match that place at first.
Point of View	Read: Notice how readers mostly follow the loud librarian’s experience and understand her problem from the outside while still feeling close to her emotions. Classroom Activity: Write 3 sentences about the same event from the point of view of a loud character in a quiet place.
Original Characters	Read: Notice that a loud librarian is an unexpected and memorable character because librarians are often stereotyped as quiet, and this fresh idea helps the pacing feel playful right away. Classroom Activity: Invent an unusual character by mixing a job and a surprising trait, such as a sleepy drummer or a whispering coach, and write 2 sentences introducing that character.
Dialogue	Read: Notice how dialogue can speed up the action by showing reactions to the librarian’s loudness and by making scenes feel immediate and funny. Classroom Activity: Write a 4-line conversation between a loud character and someone who expects quiet.
Details	Read: Notice the small details that help readers picture the library being turned upside down by the librarian’s booming presence and big personality. Classroom Activity: List 5 details you might see or hear when a loud person enters a quiet room, then use 2 of them in a sentence.
Descriptions	Read: Notice how descriptions likely highlight sound, movement, and expression so the loud librarian feels vivid and full of life. Classroom Activity: Write 2 describing sentences about a character’s voice, using one sound word and one action word.
Strong First Lines	Read: Notice how a story like this needs an opening that quickly introduces the librarian’s unusual loudness so readers are pulled in at once. Classroom Activity: Write an opening line for a story about a character who does not fit the usual expectations of a place.
Immediacy & Engagement	Read: Notice how the book quickly puts readers into the problem of being loud in a quiet library, making us care right away about what will happen next. Classroom Activity: Write 2 sentences that begin with action, not explanation, about a surprising moment in a quiet place.
Story Scenes & Summaries & Unique Structures	Read: Notice how the story likely uses lively scenes for the funniest loud moments and shorter summary parts to move us ahead to the next important event. Classroom Activity: Write one scene sentence showing a loud moment and one summary sentence that tells what happened over the rest of the day.
Flashback & Flash Forward & Cliffhangers	Read: Notice whether the story stays mostly in the present and how that keeps the pacing simple for young readers, with suspense coming from what the librarian will do next. Classroom Activity: Write a cliffhanger ending for a page: 'Then the loud librarian opened her mouth and…'.
Tension & Suspense & Surprise	Read: Notice the tension created by the mismatch between a loud librarian and a quiet library, and the surprise of how that difference may lead to something joyful instead of only trouble. Classroom Activity: Write 3 sentences that build suspense in a quiet place before a character makes a big sound.
Page Turns and Chapter Breaks	Read: Notice how picture books use page turns to hide the next funny loud moment, letting surprise help the pacing. Classroom Activity: Plan a 2-page picture-book moment by writing what happens before the page turn on one line and the surprise after the turn on the next line.
Performance	Read: Notice how this book invites performance because the librarian’s loudness can be acted out with voice, face, and movement. Classroom Activity: Write one line a reader could perform loudly and one line a reader could perform in a tiny whisper.
Personality	Read: Notice how the librarian’s personality drives the whole story; her loud, joyful self is not a small detail but the engine of the pacing and humor. Classroom Activity: Write 3 words that describe a big personality, then use them in a sentence about a main character.
Humor	Read: Notice how humor grows from contrast: a loud person in a library, unexpected reactions, and the cheerful trouble that follows. Classroom Activity: Write a funny sentence about a character whose special trait causes an unexpected problem in a place with rules.
Pause	Read: Notice how pauses matter in a loud story because they give readers a break and help important feelings about self-acceptance stand out. Classroom Activity: Write a sentence, then add an ellipsis or dash to create a dramatic pause before the most important word.
Poetry and Poetic Devices	Read: Notice whether the language uses sound play, repetition, or musical phrases to match the librarian’s larger-than-life voice. Classroom Activity: Write a 2-line poem about a loud voice using alliteration, such as repeating the same beginning sound.
Repetition	Read: Notice how repeated ideas, sounds, or sentence patterns can make the librarian’s loudness feel bigger and can help young readers join in. Classroom Activity: Write 3 sentences that start the same way, such as 'She was loud in the…' and finish each sentence with a different place or moment.
Rhythm	Read: Notice the beat of the language as the story shifts from quiet library expectations to the energetic rhythm of the loud librarian’s actions. Classroom Activity: Clap a slow beat for a quiet sentence and a fast beat for an excited sentence, then write one of each.
Punctuation	Read: Notice how punctuation such as exclamation points, commas, and periods can control how loud, fast, or dramatic the librarian’s moments feel. Classroom Activity: Write one sentence about a loud character with a period, then rewrite it with an exclamation point and compare the effect.
Questions	Read: Notice the questions readers may ask: Will the loud librarian have to change? Can a person belong even when they are different? These questions keep the pages turning. Classroom Activity: Write 2 questions a reader might ask during a story about a character who does not fit in.
Compare-Contrast	Read: Notice the contrast between quiet and loud, expected and unexpected, fitting in and being yourself; these opposites shape the story’s pacing and message. Classroom Activity: Draw a T-chart labeled Quiet Library and Loud Librarian and write 3 details in each column.
Objects	Read: Notice how library objects such as books, shelves, carts, or storytime materials can become part of the action and make the loud scenes more vivid. Classroom Activity: Pick one object from a library and write 2 sentences showing how it reacts to or is affected by a loud character.
Threes	Read: Notice whether the story groups actions or examples in threes, a pattern that often makes picture books sound satisfying and funny. Classroom Activity: Write 3 actions a loud librarian might do in a row to build energy in a scene.
Whitespace & Negative Space	Read: Notice how open space on a page can create a pause, spotlight the librarian, or make a loud moment feel even bigger by contrast. Classroom Activity: Sketch a simple page plan with one short sentence in the middle and lots of blank space around it, then explain why the space matters.
Art & Graphics	Read: Notice how Erika Lynne Jones’s illustrations likely help pace the story by showing movement, expression, and the contrast between library quiet and the librarian’s bold presence. Classroom Activity: Draw a quick picture of a loud moment and label 3 visual details that make it feel energetic.
Interactives & Gamification	Read: Notice how readers can interact with this story by using loud and quiet voices, predicting page turns, and acting out the librarian’s scenes. Classroom Activity: Create a class game called 'Loud or Quiet?' and write 4 short character actions for classmates to sort into the two categories.

Pace-Write It!

20-Minute Classroom Flow\nRead (5 min): Read aloud The Loud Librarian by Jenna Beatrice. Pause to let students notice the contrast between the quiet library setting and the librarian’s big, joyful voice.\nNotice (5 min): Ask: What makes the story feel fast, funny, or exciting? Chart student noticings such as loud/quiet contrast, page-turn surprises, repeated ideas, dialogue, punctuation, and expressive illustrations by Erika Lynne Jones.\nWrite (7 min): Students write their own short scene about a character whose special trait does not match a place at first. Writing frame: 'In the _____, everyone expected _____. But _____ was _____! When _____, _____, and _____ happened, everyone stared. Then _____ showed that being _____ could also be _____.' Encourage students to use one exclamation point, one repeated phrase, and one contrast like quiet/loud or slow/fast.\nShare (3 min): Partners read their scenes aloud twice: first with flat voices, then with expressive voices. Partners name one pacing choice they heard, such as repetition, a pause, strong punctuation, or a funny surprise.\nExit ticket: Write one sentence answering: How did Jenna Beatrice make The Loud Librarian feel lively while teaching a lesson about being yourself?

Classroom Activities

Volume Control Practice

Students practice reading aloud with different volume levels — from a whisper to a stage voice.

Volume Control Practice

Students practice reading aloud with different volume levels — from a whisper to a stage voice.

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