Would Cornell allow a lion in any of its libraries? Perhaps, if it were like the kind-hearted lion brought to life by Michelle Knudsen '95 in her children's picture book, "Library Lion."

Since hitting stores last fall, Knudsen's book has been on The New York Times Children's Books Best-sellers List for a total of 28 weeks and on many other children's books best-sellers lists, including those at Book Sense and in Publisher's Weekly. In April, Knudsen was invited to read her book for children at the annual White House Easter Egg Roll.

"I am overjoyed. Of course, I was hoping people would like it and it would do well, but I never anticipated this," Knudsen says. "It's getting much more attention that I ever imagined."

Published by Candlewick Press and illustrated by Kevin Hawkes, the book tells the story of a lovable lion who mysteriously appears one day at a neighborhood library.

Knudsen, who earned a degree in English and now lives in New York City, worked for the Cornell Library as a student and again a few years later after she graduated. The book, she notes, isn't based on anyone or anything in particular, but working for Cornell Library most certainly got her creative juices flowing.

"The library – the building, the books, the sounds and the smells and, above all, the people – helped to inspire 'Library Lion,'" Knudsen says of the book, which has been called a love letter to the library by reviewers.

Knudsen dedicated the book to Carol Buckley, a former Cornell library employee who died in 2005 from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), better known as Lou Gehrig's disease. Buckley hired Knudsen as an undergraduate and helped her find a job in the library when she returned to Ithaca a few years later.

To learn more about Knudsen and "Library Lion," visit her Web site at http://www.michelleknudsen.com.

Chris Philipp is a staff writer and editor for Library Communications.