Russell Hoban's Charlie the Tramp: a delightful find.

It's been more than 30 years since I discovered the Frances books in the basement of a tiny, spartan library in a working-class town in northern New Jersey. As avid a reader as I had been as a child, some of the most wonderful children's books I've stumbled across are the ones I found as a mother. That's the thing about tiny, spartan libraries in working-class towns: their shelves are filled with whatever a spartan budget can afford, and you're more likely to find older, out-of-print titles that are hidden treasures.

Frances, the main character of the eponymous books by Russell Hoban, is what Ramona Quimby would be if Ramona was a badger. The inquisitive and spirited Frances navigates family life, bedtime, and friendships in several delightful books.

And last week, at a library book sale, I discovered Charlie: Charlie the Tramp, that is. Charlie, a beaver, is Frances's counterpart. Like Frances, he has a loving family (including his grandfather, who like many grandfathers opines frequently on what's wrong with the world in general, and young beavers in particular, today). Like Frances, Charlie is inquisitive, and bold, and occasionally impulsive. But he also has common sense and wise parents to keep him in good stead.

The library book sale gets smaller every year.

But I will never not go, because there's always a chance one can make a new friend like Charlie.