{"id":20397,"date":"2013-07-22T21:12:32","date_gmt":"2013-07-23T01:12:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=20397"},"modified":"2013-07-22T21:14:36","modified_gmt":"2013-07-23T01:14:36","slug":"review-of-miss-moore-thought-otherwise-by-jan-pinborough-and-debby-atwell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=20397","title":{"rendered":"Review of Miss Moore Thought Otherwise, by Jan Pinborough and Debby Atwell"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Miss Moore Thought Otherwise<\/p>\n

How Anne Carroll Moore Created Libraries for Children<\/em><\/p>\n

by Jan Pinborough
\nillustrated by Debby Atwell<\/p>\n

Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, 2013. 40 pages.<\/p>\n

This nonfiction picture book tells, in simple, accessible language, about Anne Carroll Moore, one of the first librarians for children.<\/p>\n

The title phrase, \u201cMiss Moore thought otherwise,\u201d is used throughout the book. \u201cIn the 1870s many people thought a girl should stay inside and do quiet things such as sewing and embroidery.\u201d \u201cPeople didn\u2019t think reading was very important for children \u2013 especially not for girls.\u201d \u201cBack then, an unmarried girl like Annie might keep house for her parents, or perhaps become a teacher or a missionary.\u201d \u201cNew York was a big city. Some people thought it was a dangerous place for a young woman to live on her own.\u201d \u201cShe saw that many librarians did not let children touch the books, for fear that they would smudge their pages or break their spines. They thought if children were allowed to take books home, they would surely forget to bring them back.\u201d \u201cWhen Miss Moore turned seventy years old, it was time for her to retire. Some people thought she should sit quietly at home.\u201d<\/p>\n

To all of those things, \u201cMiss Moore thought otherwise.\u201d <\/p>\n

And besides telling the attitudes Anne Carroll Moore worked against, the book also displays the positive work she did \u2013 such as being an instrumental part of planning the Children\u2019s Room in the New York Public Library\u2019s new Central Branch. There are many pages about the bright and beautiful Children\u2019s Room and what children could do there. I like this little tidbit:<\/p>\n

One day the king and queen of Belgium visited the New York Public Library. \u201cYou must<\/em> come see the Children\u2019s Room,\u201d Miss Moore told the queen. That day all the children in the library \u2013 from the richest to the poorest \u2013 shook hands with a king and queen.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

(And the picture shows children all lined up to do so, with Miss Moore helping the next in line get ready.)<\/p>\n

Notes at the end tell about more trailblazing librarians, give more details, and tell you where you can find out more.<\/p>\n

The book text ends with a nice capstone paragraph:<\/p>\n

Today libraries across America have thousands of books for children. And thanks to the help of a little girl from Limerick, Maine, who had ideas of her own, any child can choose a book from a library shelf, curl up in a comfortable seat to look through it \u2013 and then take it home to read.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

missmoorethoughtotherwise.com<\/a>
\njanpinborough.com<\/a>
\nhmhbooks.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Buy from Amazon.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Find this review on Sonderbooks<\/a> at: www.sonderbooks.com\/Childrens_Nonfiction\/miss_moore_thought_otherwise.html<\/a><\/p>\n

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.<\/p>\n

Source: This review is based on a library book from Fairfax County Public Library.<\/p>\n

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but I maintain my website and blogs on my own time. The views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.<\/p>\n

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