The following is excerpted from the Finding the Books of Five in a Row, Volume 1, Revised Second Edition. © 1997-1998 by Jane Claire Lambert, all rights reserved.

In our experience, a "typical" library may actually have 20-25 of the 55 Five in a Row titles within their own system. The rest they will have to obtain through Interlibrary loan (ILL). We've also observed that juvenile fiction is frequently mis-shelved because children examine books at random while mother makes her selections, replacing the books on the shelves wherever is convenient! The result is that even though the computer may indicate a given volume is "available," you may have a very difficult time locating it on the shelf.

We've found the most time-effective way to utilize the library system is to get a stack of library request cards from your librarian. If you own all 3 volumes of Five in a Row, you'll need 55 cards. Then, take the hour needed to fill them all out and put a rubber band around them, placing them in your purse or organizer. Keep them with you. Whenever you go to the library, simply turn in two or three cards for any titles that are not on the shelf and let them do the searching. They will locate the mis-shelved book when the computer indicates it's available. They will flag the computer to automatically "hold" the title for you when another library patron returns the book. They will request books via ILL and hold them for you when they arrive.

(Note-Some library systems and some librarians are still resistant to doing ILL, but that is changing. A recent article by one of the foremost authorities on library science in the world suggested that while ILL was practically unknown a few years ago, it is common practice today in most libraries. She went on to say that ILL will continue to grow as libraries inter-connect their computerized catalogs. She concluded by saying that a good librarian today should never tell a patron, "I'm sorry but we don't have that book," without quickly adding, "but I'll be happy to locate a copy for you!")

As your local library collects your requested titles they will call you every week or two to let you know another book or two is being held for you. Then, when you go to check out your new acquisitions, turn in two or three more cards and let them begin the search/request/hold cycle all over again. You will discover a comfortable rhythm of swinging by the library every two weeks or so and picking up your next title or two. It can be very painless!

Another note on the subject. One of the benefits of requesting a title is that often a library will eventually purchase the book if it's requested often enough. If the library comes up empty handed on a particular title, keep requesting it every few weeks. Encourage your friends to request it too! You'd be surprised how many wonderful books end up in the system that way.

A personal anecdote: A dear friend who began reviewing Five in a Row several years ago obtained Who Owns the Sun? via ILL. When she returned it suggested the librarian consider purchasing a copy for the local library. The busy librarian quickly brushed her aside saying, "I'm sorry, but we've already spent our budget for this year; it's out of the question." Our friend simply opened the book and began reading it aloud to the librarian right at the check-out desk! Before she was halfway through, the librarian was wiping away tears as she listened to the poignant story, and by the time our friend finished reading, the librarian grabbed the book from her saying, "I'm going to take $15 from our office supply budget and order this book immediately!"

Sadly, many of the most wonderful books being written today, as well as the marvelous classics like The Story About Ping are being supplanted on limited library shelf space by books of far less merit. The library system is designed to respond to patron usage and requests. They buy and maintain what the most people are reading. One of our more subtle opportunities is to bless our communities with wholesome, solid books by requesting them, sharing them with local librarians, or even donating a copy of a special title from time to time. Our libraries are what we make them!

One final note on the titles of Five in a Row. We're well aware that several of the books are difficult to locate and several others are currently out of print for those who wish to purchase them. While we struggled with this issue, in the final analysis we concluded that we wanted to offer the very best of the more that 5000 children's books we've explored and examined. In the three volumes, we've supplied 55 lessons; 55 weeks of unit study to keep you going through a calendar year. (The joy of reading wonderful books and discussing what you've read can be a year-round activity.)

We know that even if you keep going year-round, you're only likely to actually use 43-45 titles because of vacation breaks, Christmas breaks, etc. The "extra" titles are provided so that if there are several books you cannot locate or which are unavailable through your local library, you'll still have more than enough material to keep your young ones learning for a full year. But, for those who are willing to leave no stone unturned in their search for all 55 titles, we're sure you'll be blessed and rewarded for your trouble. Some of the most difficult titles to find are some of the richest!

The cost of Five in a Row is just slightly more that $1 per unit study. Even if you only locate two thirds of the titles successfully, you'll still be getting wonderful, inspired unit studies for less than $1.50 each. And in the meantime, keep on the lookout for other titles, by trading with friends, having relatives check their libraries, requesting again and again locally, exploring used bookstores and flea markets, etc.

In the final analysis, we've tried to give you the very "best of the best" from the more than 5,000 children's books Jane has explored in the hopes that each one will be a present tense joy and a lifetime friend for both you and your children. God bless you and your children as you set out on the wonderful adventure of learning with Five in a Row.