NONFICTION MONDAY: Miss Moore Thought Otherwise by Jan Pinborough

March 25, 2013

MISS MOORE THOUGHT OTHERWISE

How Anne Carroll Moore Created Libraries for Children

by Jan Pinborough, illustrated by Debby Atwell

Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, 2013

ISBN: 978-0-547-47105-1

Picture Book Nonfiction

Grades K-5

Reviewed from purchased copy.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Once upon a time, American children couldn’t borrow library books. Reading wasn’t all that important for children, many thought. Luckily Miss Anne Carroll Moore thought otherwise! This is the true story of how Miss Moore created the first children’s room at the New York Public Library, a bright, warm room filled with artwork, window seats, and most important of all, borrowing privileges to the world’s best children’s books in many different languages.

REVIEW

Being an elementary school librarian, I have a special appreciation for those who've paved the way for me to share books with children. Anne Carroll Moore was one of those people. I really enjoyed reading about her efforts to help open public libraries to children. She worked hard to create spaces that were child-friendly and full of great books for them to read. I can understand where the libraries were coming from in terms of children returning books damaged or forgetting to return them at all because those things do happen regularly, but on the other hand, of what value is a book just sitting on a shelf?

I found myself cheering Moore on as she helped design the Children's Room in what would become the New York Public Library and as she urged publishers to make more stories available that were especially for children. Reading is such a valuable life-long skill and the sooner it can be instilled in children the better. I've seen that personally on many occasions. Our information rich society is dependent on the ability to read and one's reading ability is dependent on the availability of a variety of interesting informative materials. Thanks be to those like Anne Carroll Moore who saw this early and helped bring it to pass! While there is still much to be done, we have come a long ways from those libraries that refused to even let children inside. Highly recommended.