Hanging Out With Heroes at the Library
Chorus:
Well it's a foot-stomping rope-swinging barrel of fun
There's something in a book for everyone
To make your heart pound faster and your eyes pop out
It'll get you so riled up you just got to shout
That the hero of the story is the one you want to be
I love hanging out with heroes at the library!
This teacher takes the mystery out of how things work.
Her little lizard, Liz, always accompanies us
on impossible trips on a magic school bus.
Her hands-on approach gives science a sizzle.
Take a field trip to the library with Ms. Frizzle!
(Chorus)
His muggle aunt and uncle made him feel outcast
until he started to discover his mysterious past.
He goes to Hogwart's school for wizards and witches.
On the quidditch team he's a seeker of snitches.
He took to that broom like a fish takes to water.
Catch the magic at the library with Harry Potter!
(Chorus)
This diminutive detective always takes the case.
He leaves a note for his mom, then he's off on the chase.
His cleaver dog, Sludge, helps him search for clues.
At times he finds he's stuck and doesn't know what to do.
That's when a pancake snack sets him thinking straight.
Solve a mystery at the library with Nate the Great!
(Chorus)
She was swept away from Kansas to the Land of Oz.
She took the Yellow Brick Road to seek help because
she was determined to return and faced many trials tryin’
with a scarecrow, a tin man, and a cowardly lion.
I'll bet you if you ask old what's her name? Dorothy!
she'd say, “There's really no place like the library!”
(Chorus)
Now if your looking for me let me tell you where I'll be
I'll be hanging out with heroes at the library
I just gotta shout about it from the top of every tree
I love hanging out with heroes at the library!
© 1994 by Monty Harper
Additional Verses
She's a talented arachnid; she can read and write.Her very best friend nearly lost his life.
She was a super spinner, but she wasn't very strong,
so she used her brain to save her friend from harm.
This spider is a hero of stupendous quality!
I love hanging round with Charlotte at the library!
He's the reason all the criminals in Idaville
can be found downtown at the county jail.
Put a quarter on his can, he'll be your private sleuth.
He always sees the clues he needs to get to the truth,
and this ten-year-old detective really loves to read.
Uncover Encyclopedia Brown at the library!
He's a noble-hearted canine and an old cowhand.
He gets no appreciation for protecting his land.
As the head of ranch security his life's on the line.
Sneaking up and jumping on a porcupine.
When something goes awry, he's the cowdog to thank.
Trackin' trouble at the library with good ol' Hank!
He could fell a dozen trees with a swing of his axe.
He was the undisputed champion of the lumberjacks.
He dug the whole Grand Canyon by himself - no sweat.
He kept a giant blue ox named Babe for a pet.
He ran his logging operation on the banks of the Onion
Clear some timber at the library with Paul Bunyan.
He was raised in the desert by a coyote pack.
He could lasso up a cyclone and float on its back.
His Widowmaker horse, no one else would ride
'Til ol' Sloo-Foot Sue was to be his bride.
She got bounced to the moon, so he howls at it still.
Become a cowboy at the library with Pecos Bill.
This mighty pioneer never carried a gun.
He was friendly and helpful to everyone.
He wore a pot for a hat and he followed the breeze.
And everywhere he went he planted apple trees.
He was thankful for the liberty to do a good deed.
At the library walk with Johnny Appleseed.
She worked hard to help her family as a young pioneer
when they came by covered wagon to the new frontier.
She was a little half pint to her fiddle playing pa
But she grew to be a teacher and a writer and a ma.
Her name was Laura Ingalls and her sister was Mary.
At the library see their Little House on the Prairie.
When Merlin taught him the ways of the world
he turned this boy into a fish and a bird.
No one ever dreamed that Wart would take the throne
until the young king pulled the sword from the stone.
His Round Table knights used might for right.
Find King Arthur in the library and join in the fight.
This poor sooty girl had to do all the work
for her two stepsisters. What a couple of jerks!
Then her fairy godmother made a transformation.
At the prince's ball she was a big sensation.
A glass slipper made her known to her fella.
Find true love at the library with Cinderella.
This princess hates doing needlework.
She'd rather learn magic or read a book.
When she hears she has to marry a boring prince,
she volunteers instead to be a dragon's princess.
She helps Kazul become the dragon king.
Melt some wizards at the library with Cimorene.
He dresses in green from head to toe.
He's the best you've ever seen with an arrow and bow.
He's the leader of a band of merry men,
running from the sheriff of Nodingham.
They rob from the selfish and give to the good.
You can hide out at the library with Robin Hood.
---
The following verse was written by David and Jenny Heitler-Klevans,
who are Two of a Kind at http://www.twoofakind.com
She knew she was having a very strange day
when they used flamingoes to play croquet.
She got confused by Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee.
The Mad Hatter asked her to have some tea.
She barely escaped from the Queen of Hearts' palace.
Find a wonderland of reading with a girl named Alice!
---
The following two verses were written by students at Pretty Prairy
Grade School in Pretty Prairy, KS during one of Monty's workshops.
He's a brave little fellow with furry ears.
Cats and vacuum cleaners are his fears.
He made himself a helmet from a ping pong ball.
He races his cycle up and down the hall.
A hole in the wall is his only house.
Take a ride to the library with Ralph S. Mouse!
He likes to sing loud and sing off key.
He wears a flowered shirt from Wakiki.
He's been known to surf on a piece of ice.
He has several friends who are boring and nice,
but this little penguin is exceedingly wacky.
You'll find him at the library; his name is Tacky!
--
© 2000 by Monty Harper
About This Song
This song is available on
the Great
Green Squishy Mean Concert CD.Instrumental and alternative versions of this song are included in the bonus material on the CD. You'll find them among the extras if you put the CD in your computer.
This song is also available on the Reading Songs Volume I CD.
Other versions of this song are available on the following CDs:
Monty performs this song quite often and is always adding new verses. He also writes new verses with students in some of his elementary school visits.
To the left you will find the original version, followed by many of the verses that have been added so far!
Other versions:
Monty originally wrote this song for the Oklahoma Department of Libraries' 1993 summer reading program theme, "Hanging out with heroes at the library."
More Monty Harper Songs