I just want to chime in here with nothing new to say! This is a tough situation to know about. Maybe this kid never cleans up his toys at home, so when his mom put the books where they "should" be, he can't find them. Maybe this kids rips up all his books, so his mom put them somewhere for safekeeping. Maybe this kid told you a story to get some attention from you (and even well-loved kids sometimes tell stories if they can't think of a better way to get attention). Or, maybe his mother is some kind of weirdo who doesn't let her kid have books. This is a delicate situation, so I'd try to be very tactful about it ... maybe say something like "Hey, lady, are you some kind of weirdo who doesn't let your kid have books?" and see what she says.

Danna =]