The Library - Softcover

Stewart, Sarah

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0312384548 ISBN 13: 9780312384548

Publisher: Square Fish, 2008

Synopsis

Meet an unforgettable bibliophile

Elizabeth Brown doesn't like to play with dolls and she doesnt like to skate. What she does like to do is read books. Lots of books. The only problem is that her library has gotten so big she can't even use her front door anymore. What should Elizabeth Brown do? Start her own public library, of course! With charming verse and watercolors Sarah Stewart and David Small celebrate one of America's oldest and finest institutions.

The Library is a 1995 New York Times Book Review Notable Children's Book of the Year and Outstanding Book of the Year.

About this title

About the Author

Husband and wife duo Sarah Stewart and David Small have worked together on several picture books, including The Gardener, a Caldecott Honor book available from Square Fish. Small has also illustrated other books, including the 2001 Caldecott Medal winner So You Want to Be President?, by Judith St. George. Stewart and Small live in a historic home on a bend of the St. Joseph River in Michigan.

From Booklist

Ages 5^-8. Although there is no author's note, this picture book is dedicated to the memory of the real librarian who inspired it. The story begins with young Elizabeth Brown, who doesn't like dolls or skates but instead prefers to spend her time reading. She reads through childhood and college, and as an adult, she spends her money on books, books, and more books. It's a little difficult to incorporate some of the concepts into the pithy, rhyming text. For instance: "The form was for donations. / She quickly wrote this line: `I, E. Brown, gives to the town / All that was ever mine.'" The next page shows a library with her name on the sign. Did she donate the books to a library, which was then named after her, or did she actually help build the building? It's a testament to Stewart and Small's collaboration that the book works as well as it does. The story of a spinster who does nothing but read isn't the most scintillating of topics, but Elizabeth's life takes on gentle humor as she is shown reading while standing on her head or trying to vacuum and read at the same time. Small's framed pastel artwork uses wonderfully unique perspectives, showing rooms with roaring fireplaces and books piled high to the ceiling. Reading has never looked quite so delicious. Ilene Cooper

About this edition

• Publisher: Square Fish
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0312384548
• ISBN 13: 9780312384548
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 40
• Illustrator: Small David