{Towards the end of this post you will find helpful links and list ideas. Here are the ongoing Library Project posts.}
When I was a little girl, this is the library I went to. I entered on the side there, on the left on Temple St., because the children's books are in the lower level — the basement, I guess you'd call it — but spacious and airy. I was so little when we first started going there that I couldn't help pretending that the double doors were an elevator, and I had to “push buttons” and “wait for the elevator to come” — and of course, that meant my Mom had to wait for me to do those things too, which she did, very patiently — even letting other people go ahead on in so that I could enact this ritual.
I think my first memory of the New Haven Public Library, a mighty and formative edifice, as I'll explain, is of the librarian reading a Curious George book to us children at story hour. I can remember the place very well, which says something, because I have a very shaky memory of most environments — I usually didn't take in the details of my surroundings when I was a child or even a young adult. But I remember the library.
I remember being desperate to learn cursive so that I could sign my name on my first library card. And my last name had 10 letters in it, so it took frustratingly long for me to master it!
It was walking to the library from school with my class (which I recall doing once a month for a while there, maybe in second grade? But it's one and a half miles there — could that be right?) that I walked smack into an oak tree because I wasn't paying attention, and smashed my face. I remember going in with the class and feeling a bit unsettled because I couldn't play the elevator game!
And it was in the library that I found all my beloved books, which I checked out in stacks that I could barely carry. The rule was that you could only check out 8 books at a time, but the librarian made an exception for me! Because that didn't get me through the week. She let me take out 12. Every week, as she stamped the cards, she joked that I'd soon run out of books.
If you knew how strict people were about rules, especially rules for kids, in the early sixties, you would be impressed. For instance, you absolutely could not speak above a whisper, or your mother or teacher would have to take you out of the library then and there, than which no greater humiliation was conceivable to me.
I am heartily in favor of all those rules because I think, like the building itself, they instilled awe for what the library contained, which was wonder, learning, and delight. Fear is the beginning of wisdom….
Yes, the architecture of the building inspired anyone who was open to it, who had a soul. That lower level was warm and friendly (yes, even with the scary rules), with fairy tales readily accessible and stacks of “chapter books” any one of which was a doorway to the imagination. If you entered by those white granite steps depicted in the postcard above, you passed through the dark oak portal to the lofty main floor — a two-story space with comfy Naugahyde arm chairs, massive oak tables, study carrels, and huge windows. A place to aspire to enter, if you ever dared!
But — would you dare to read books with no illustrations?
When the day came that the librarian had laughed enough times that I would run out of books in the children's section, I did venture up above. I was so self-conscious, so sure that the grown-ups there would, en masse, utterly reject me as the bold intruder that I was, that I could hardly breathe. But then I looked at the books, and forgot all about it.
My mother would sometimes leave me browsing in the children's books to look for hers, which is why I never went to the main floor until I was old enough (I think that maybe children were just not allowed in there? Quite possible). But she would sometimes take me to the upper floor to look at art books with her, probably assuring the librarians up there in that aerie, reached only by means of the double marble staircase with wrought-iron rails, that I would be quiet.
By then I'd have a book of my own to read, she'd have promised me that we wouldn't be long, and she'd have extracted from me a promise not to touch anything. No fear — it was just too overwhelmingly grown up up there. You couldn't even use one of the marble staircases because the steps were too worn. (They had roped that side off, and one of my few temptations in rule-breaking was to — run up those stairs!) That's how fragile and special everything up there was. And how fitting that the most lovely books about the most delicate of artistic subjects were kept there!
You see, everything about the place was Dante-esque, depicting the life of the mind and the ages of man in the form of a building. Even its situation, facing the town green with open arms stairs, taking its place with the churches and government buildings, was carefully considered to impress with its importance. It all conspired — the granite, the oak, the marble (and I haven't even told you about the murals and the stained glass) — to convince you that here was to be found the key, knowledge.
A mural in the New Haven Public Library.
And it was all free to the patrons, because it was all provided by the city fathers and good taxpayers, who knew it was in the interest of the city to have citizens who, starting as children (the New Haven Public Library had maybe the first children's room!) could read books, find information, see the newspapers, and get answers to questions.
Why, a person could educate himself there, for free! And many did. These local projects are a study in how communities can serve the family and all the residents. A small town library would have been far less grand, but have had just as many of the important books. Books just aren't that expensive.
Today libraries are different, I think. They are media centers, you don't have to hush there, and you do have to carefully monitor what your children choose. In fact, they've pulled out and sold off most of the wonderful books (or not bought them to start with, when they opened the new branches in the strip malls). I'm afraid that quietly, the library has become a monument to political correctness and only reflects the shallowness of popular culture. In our generally only moderately acceptable (as far as content — the building is lovely) small New England public library, the children's section has virtually no biographies of historical figures that I could find. It's all basketball stars and pop singers!
We've talked a bit before in this space about that, and about how to go about making your own home library.
But we haven't gone about making a list in any sort of rational manner, even though you've asked us to. Nor will we start now — not rationally (or at least, not linearly). There are some good book lists online, and their existence has always prevented me from attempting the hard work of making one of my own.
There's my beloved Ambleside, there's the 1000 Good Books list from John Senior (embedded in this wonderful essay I've linked to before although you can find it elsewhere standing alone), and there's my friend Theresa's A Mother's List of Books.* Of course, there are many more, and feel free to share them in the comments!
Nevertheless, rationally or not, with difficulty or not, we will start the LMLD Library Project, which is to be a sort of occasional (hopefully regular, but you know) feature in which we discuss books we consider indispensable for the home (taking into consideration the limits of budget and space, every choice has to be from the A-list!). These books should be in the public library, a carefully curated collective memory, but they are not, not anymore.
Sometimes these posts will be on one book, sometimes more. Sometimes it will be a kids' book, sometimes not. Eventually it will add up to a list, although one in perhaps a manageable form, which is the way we try to do things here. I think doing it this way will not only be easier on us, it will perhaps spark more discussion in the comments (which are, unlike anywhere else, always a source of interest, so thank you!).
I hope that we can save this uniquely American idea of the public free library in the cloister of the home, as well as the books that should be in it, and eventually our cities and towns will come back to sanity and furnish the community (wide-eyed little boys and girls too!) once again, with the wealth of good and great books.
The Rip van Winkle mural in the New Haven Public Library.
{For a long post with lots of recommendations, see Are Fairy Tales Always Appropriate?}
*A Mother's List of Books may not be available on Amazon. Soon it's due to come out as an ebook. In the meantime, you can email Theresa to order updated copies directly from her. Her email address is tafagan (at) juno.com.
@HouseUnseen says
Of the many, many summer reading books on my big girls' lists, our local library had only TWO that were not the abridged version or absent altogether. It was quite disappointing, but having a good reason to buy and own them ourselves isn't all that bad I guess 🙂
Pom Pom says
I love my school library and the kids do, too. Books smell so good!
I remember my small town library on the opposite coast. The floors creaked and the stacks were close and tight. Bless my mama for taking us so regularly.
I remember the first time I laid eyes on one of my all time favorite novels, Harriet the Spy. It was on the top shelf. I've loved it all my life.
Thank you for bringing back that lovely library feeling. I'm going to take my grandgirls to the library tonight after dinner. We'll sit on toadstools in the children's corner!
Karen says
I think classic, good libraries are hard to come by these days. I grew up going to a wonderful library that had a grand appearance on the outside that made you feel like you were entering a place worthy of inspiring minds. The library I have access to now is an incredible disappointment by comparison. I compensate for the lackluster library by simply buying the books I want for myself and my children. The drawback to that is it gets expensive and the books take up a lot of space.
Esther says
I absolutely loved this post Auntie Leila!! As a girl, back in the '80's (I guess not so long ago), I would ride my bike a few miles to our public library. I loved being there. I loved the summer reading program. I endeavor to curate my own library for our four children, but I am navigating my daughter's desire to read the twaddle she sees at her school, in book stores and in libraries these days. She is a very advanced reader, for her third grade age, and I want to give her opportunities to read lots of things. However, she is picking out the cotton candy junk rather then the nutritious and delicious! I want to shepherd her but not forbid and thereby cause anger. Of course, as a parent I need to protect and guide. I am prayerfully seeking counsel. Thank you.
Melissa Diskin says
Esther — I have this same problem. Every child in my 2nd grader's class is buying tons of Scholastic junk (sorry, but most of it is cotton-candy awful). I've been collecting good books steadily, though, and have a giant Expedit that is almost full of really good stuff. And when we travel, I pack her backpack — no junk allowed. It really does help form the palate, gently. I find most good books at Goodwill, or sometimes on Etsy or Ebay. A buck here and there, very well spent. 🙂 Good luck!
I'm also passing on my books as the kids outgrow them to other moms in the same boat. It's easier to give up a good book (or box of books) if you know someone will really appreciate it!
-Melissa
AmyP says
I have a strategy for this problem. We go to the library and they get to pick some books and then I pick some books for them. Once they finish their princess fairy books they are out of stuff to read and they are forced to read what I picked. Usually they are hooked after a few chapters of eye rolls. If they absolutely refuse to open a good book I bring out my secret weapon- audiobooks. I cannot recommend this highly enough. Just put it on and let it play in the background. If she is already a reader she will read these books too, in her own time. And slowly, over the next few years, she will replace that fluffy stuff with more and more good books.
_Leila says
Esther, I encourage you to explain to your daughter that she needs to trust you to help her choose books. Get into the habit of matter-of-factly saying, This is not a good book, this one is.
There are many areas where our children have to trust us. It's a dialogue and you skillfully draw them in and teach them as you go, while preventing them from ingesting bad things. Object lessons crop up: You are reading something with her and realize it's trash. “Oh, I didn't realize this one is so lightweight. We have better things to read.” Close it and move on.
This way she learns to be docile. And it's just so very important. For some reason we think we can't tell a child what to do when it comes to the mind. But would we let her step out into traffic? Of course not!
It's not about forbidding, it's about guiding and teaching a child to accept guidance. We'll talk more about it!
Alice says
Goodness. I got on to my computer to back up my files before taking it in for repair, and now I've spent the past forty minutes reading book lists.
My only critique is of the inclusion of Charles Reade's _The Cloister and the Hearth_ on the 1000 good books list. The prose is truly execrable.
Alice says
I should add to my comment the great benefit of going to a financially-challenged elementary school: the library was full of old books. There was no money to replace them! Since my mother had hoarded all of her old books, I was lucky.
This post did make me wish, even more than usual, that I hadn't lost my very first public library card (with its scrawled ALICE on the back).
Theresa Anne says
Execrable…what a great word! I had to look up the meaning (and pronunciation) though I was pretty sure I got the gist of it. Vocabulary and grammar…2 areas sorely lacking in my education and now I am trying to make up for it!
Lisa G. says
This is a wonderful idea, Leila.
I love the mural! You know, as someone who works in a library, I agree with you entirely about how the older, (and more valuable – I mean, non-superficial) books are disappearing.But, not sticking up for it or anything, I don't see any way around it. New books are being written all the time, and room has to be made for them. You get a computer printout on what hasn't circulated in two years or whatever, and that stuff has to go.
Our children's section has many of the “old-fashioned” biographies – the ones you can't find at home. Our kid's librarian doesn't like to let go of things so easily. The new books aren't necessarily better, but to the average mother out there, this does not occur to them. Or to teachers, either, it seems. So, the old stuff has to go.
I will tell you this. Folks are dropping off their old books all the time here. They go to the basement bookstore, but sometimes old things go into the dumpster. If I knew somebody wanted them, and who they were, I'd grab 'em! So, maybe I can be of some use in this new idea of yours.
_Leila says
Lisa, the way around is to build our own libraries, and that's what this Library Project is about!
And yes, please!! never let those books get thrown away!! 🙂
Anne-Marie says
My childhood library was much less august! The children's branch was separate from the adult branch, and it was upstairs from a branch of the provincial liquor store. But I have many of the same fond memories of kindly librarians, especially Mlle. Saint-Pierre, an ancient lady who spoke, always, in a lisping but awe-inducing whisper.
nhwolfe says
What a lovely trip down your memory lane… thank you!
And thank you for more links to good lists. My children (now teens) are voracious readers and we try to focus on good books with a minimum of 'brain junk food' reading. We have recently relocated to a tiny town with an equally tiny library just at the end of our road – but they are finding treasures hidden in the small spaces.
Love this project!
Deanna says
We decided long ago to build our home library and to also start a 'library' for each of our children to take with them into their own homes one day.
Great post!
Caitlin says
The library was my favorite place as a young girl. I was an avid reader, and my parents always had to limit me (mostly in the bookstore, “you can only get FIVE books!”) The library of my childhood was glorious, but the library in our current town is abysmal. One of the branches is in a strip mall, ugh, and apparently the rent is outrageous. City council was thinking about closing it because, “Who even goes to the library any more when there is Kindle?” Luckily that attitude caused some problems among we few souls who do frequent the library, and instead they are moving. Gotta love Texas.
kathleenbehrens says
Oh, please don't despair! I just graduated with my master's in library and information studies (yes, most capital L Librarians have a master's degree), and I truly love my field! It's true that many of the wonderful historic books are gone from library shelves. This is in parts because 1) no one checks them out and 2) they often fall apart after they've been out of print. Can't replace them! Publishers of children's books are equally (maybe more so) to blame for the tripe that's out there. And whenever classmates of mine mocked the collection standard of “the good, the true, and the beautiful” from 100 years ago, I died a little inside. But there IS good stuff being published now! Not all is lost.
A lot of libraries are moving towards being community centers and offering more programming than just being a place to sit and read. Something I'm really excited about is the movement of “making” in the library – creative learning as an extension of book learning. They're not quiet places anymore, but that reflects a change in our general culture. Besides, children's librarians love to hear the chatter of learning! Please don't be too hard on public libraries! The librarians still care about you.
Tarynkay says
I agree. I love our library! And I love how it has become a center of the community, welcoming to all. I love that they offer job-hunting help and programs for children and teens.
I do love old books, but I also seek out newer books for my son. Older children's books tend to feature little white children exclusively and it is very important to me that my son is exposed to books that show children like him (he is black.) I am very careful in selecting which older books to read to me, just as I am careful about the newer ones. He is only one and a half, so as he gets older, we will be able to discuss things more, but for now, I definitely don't want to expose him to anything showing black people being treated in demeaning ways.
_Leila says
Tarynkay, as I think of older books, I see that it's probably true that most of them feature white children, although I think a lot of them only coincidentally so. In other words, a fairy tale is just as exciting no matter what the color of the child in the illustration. I think this is borne out by the place the Uncle Remus stories have as beloved by all, although they are clearly from a black tradition. A story is a story! No demeaning involved!
a2jc4life says
I was so disappointed to see that the newer edition of the Uncle Remus stories has watered down or removed the old Southern style of speech. 🙁 According to the foreword, I get the impression this is somehow supposed to make it “less offensive,” but in my opinion it makes it MORE offensive because it eliminates the one GOOD thing about that period of our history – a CULTURE. We bought the unabridged version and then were so sad to find out it wasn't the same. 🙁
Jessica says
Our class didn't walk to the library, the library bookmobile came to our school! I love libraries. I think that's why when I need/want a job, that's where I go. It's a wonderful place for a 16 year old to learn a work ethic while doing something mildly tedious (shelving books) in a safe place (not the mall), and my teen son just had his first job interview at the library.
I'm sorry to hear your library's biography section is lacking. Perhaps you should let them know? Our library has an extensive collection of historical biographies for children and young adults. My high school daughter recently found two biographies on Isabella of Castille on the shelves there. The pop star books don't maintain their shelf value for nearly as long. With classes of school children coming in even now, the staff tries to cover all of the needs of the students. What a library contains is largely but not solely up to the people who work there. I was the juvenile/young adult paperback buyer for a time, before this two year old came around, and while I had to keep Twilight on the shelves, I got to purchase the newly reprinted Betsy-Tacy series too.
Librarians have a lot of dialogue about keeping up collections electronically. It's space saving and money saving and probably good for the environment. Many, many older books are available for free download to e-readers. The library even loans out e-readers now.
When you get to naming names for your library project, I have devoted quite a bit of shelf space to Gladys Malvern's works, the old and the newly reprinted. Lovely historical novels with her sister's charming illustrations.
Laura Jeanne says
What a lovely post. I enjoyed reading about your childhood library – what a magical place it must have been. Unfortunately for me, my parents aren't really book people and I never got to go to a public library until I was an adult. And although I'm grateful for the services my library provides, I am saddened to witness the phenomenon you describe – libraries have become media centers rather than repositories of the knowledge of our culture.
I regret to say that last year, our public library system started carrying video games, as in games for XBox, Wii, and all that. Even violent games. And the branch I used to go to, was already only half books, half DVDs and computers. It's upsetting to me to imagine that library funds are going to buy video games instead of good books. Many of those games are quite expensive.
But it's not like there's anything I can do about it – except to do as you suggest and create your own library of classics at home. And I have been working on that! I look forward to reading your posts on the topic. Great idea!
Patty says
Sigh. One of the reasons I avoid going to our library unless absolutely necessary is that it's so drab and seventies and fluorescent lit…. I HATE being in there. Just hate it. The old downtown Chicago Public Library building (which is of course not a library any more) is just gorgeous….
Aimee says
Thank you for these links! I am excited for the LMLD Library Project, not just for book recommendations, but also for the sense of solidarity about the rottenness of many of today's books for children. Not all of them, of course, but if I see another vampire or witch love story marketed for my teen, I might lose my mind. Our library has no old books of fairy tales or adventures, but plenty of videos.
Some of my fondest memories of childhood are riding my bike down congested streets to my local inner-city branch library. It was an absolute haven, and the only place I'd ever encountered bean bag chairs. I spent whole hot afternoons in there. It was a delight that my children have no opportunity to savor, I'm sad to say.
Lisa says
Thank you very much for doing this. All of my children (who read) are voracious readers. I've taken to just putting the books that I know are good on hold at the library so I can run in and pick them up without having to fight the battles that invevitably come regarding inappropriate or just wasteful reading. Sadly, this takes away the serendipity of finding a delightful book just sitting on the shelves waiting to be read by you! I discovered so many excellent authors and wonderful books in that manner as a child. But our home library becomes more extensive every day. It isn't the same thing, though. There's no way we can provide the entire sensory experience of the library at home!
Melissa Diskin says
Leila, I had to laugh at special dispensations for taking out extra books. We had the same for our family! If we could carry the books, we could check out the books — so we had stacks of books we'd barely clutch with our fingertips and balance with our chins, all 4 of us. Punishment in our family was being denied the library — no timeouts or spankings needed!
-Melissa
priest's wife says
my dream is to have a lending library for our homeschool group- most of the families are larger than mine and have small houses overloaded with books. Wouldn't it be fun to have a storage space or something with books, toys, baby equipment and clothes ready to lend?
kmantoan says
I have often thought the same thing! I even posed the idea to my friends that we post our libraries through Goodreads or Library Thing so we could see what one another had and borrow accordingly. Unfortunately, it has not panned out. We are better at lending baby clothes and neccesities thankfully.
priest's wife says
and I still remember the feeling my sis and I had when we finally found book 5 in the betsy tacy series….elation! and who would be first to read it?
Annalisa says
Thank you! This will be such a wonderful list to enjoy as it grows, I am sure.
Kate says
I am jealous! Our rural town currently has its library in rented space in a shopping plaza (between a sandwich shop and a tanning salon). When we first moved here they were renting space in an older, free-standing building. My kids loved to go there and we spent a lot of time there. For some reason the library had to move and a developer offered the county a deal on a unit. To maximize the narrow space, all the long metal shelves are tall – even in the kids' section. It's not cozy or welcoming. We don't linger at the library – we go in, pick up our requested books and leave.Our county has one of lowest education levels in our state (think NASCAR and meth labs), so new libraries are not a priority. Of course, we've developed quite an impressive home library, but I can only creatively wedge in a limited number of bookshelves.
Ann says
I am reminded not of my own library trips, but of those I loved in books: Half Magic and Rufus M. The Half Magic kids reading all the way home, and out loud to each other, and Rufus M so desperate for his library card, a wonderful librarian there. And, too, one of the things that made me stand in awe of my father was the fact that he looked in all the different sections of the library to choose his books. He was interested in everything— not just fiction, like me. Wow! And, oddly enough, he could always answer my questions about things.
Jamie says
Where to start? You have accurately expressed my memories of my childhood library, my local library now, and therefore the desire for our home library. Which we have because we are great readers and love books. And it's a work in progress. I'm too cynical to think libraries will ever be the hallowed halls they once were. And there is no use telling the librarian what's missing and could they order some classics or this and that. “No one checks them out”. And it's no use donating the library of a deceased relative. Those books go right on the sale cart. And there is no use donating any new books yourself because it's bound to not be the latest Oprah hit and therefore it won't make it on the shelf. So frustrating. And since when did an e-book replace a real book? Fun toys but no substitute for the real thing. What a loss. And such a disservice to our children…and their children….and their children….and their children…..and theirs. Sigh.
Emily says
I love this idea! My oldest is just taking off as a reader, and it IS hard to direct him away from all the twaddle books which are so front-and-center on the library shelves.
Cristina says
This is a wonderful idea! Our local library has annual sales where they offload all of the “withdrawn” books. I just came home with an entire bag of goodness for just $10…..I like to think of myself having completed a book rescue mission 🙂
Lindsey says
Oh, I am so excited about this project! I'm looking forward to your recommendations to add to our growing wish list. 🙂
My Mom worked in our public library when we were kids, and we also homeschooled, so I remember going to the library to “do school” there with Mom, and when we were done our work for the day we could just read whatever we wanted. I loved the library, though the basement level was always a bit scary to me! One of my first jobs as a teenager was working in that library. I later worked in my college library, but my favourite book-related job was working in a children's bookstore, The Freckled Lion, when we first got married! I did a weekly Story Time there, so I got to know a few books that were wonderful for reading aloud!
Stephanie P says
Our oldest, a boy, is 11 and our youngest of 4 children just turned 6 years old. The other 3 are girls. It just pains me when I go into a book store or the library and on the suggested reader list and the top best sellers are The Dork Diaries and Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Captain Underpants! I am really struggling with this and as my son's friends are all reading these sorts of books and he was even given one for his birthday, he wants to read them too. He also has started complaining about reading classics even though he used to love them. He also wants to read comic books. Do you have any thoughts about comic book reading for boys? The problem is that we allowed him to read a few at first and then that's all he wanted to read. He began sneaking them and hiding them and he would borrow them from his friends without our knowledge until we discovered them. I would love your insight and wisdom as to how to encourage my son to continue reading and choosing good classics instead of twaddle. Do you consider comics twaddle? Even in the kids picture book section at the library it's so hard to find good stories. I often wonder how it's possible that some of these books were even published?!!? I don't understand how parents allow their kids to yell or shout in the library and be very loud? If my kids ever run in the library or anywhere like that, I make them go back and try again. I was in a hotel with a friend and her girls recently celebrating some of our birthdays and all 6 girls started running and being very loud down the hall. When I got to the end I made my 3 girls walk back down the hall and use walking feet and quiet voices. My friend and her girls looked at me as though they couldn't believe I would do such a thing. There is a difference between allowing kids to be kids and common courtesy and manners. Sometimes I get so discouraged because it feels as though we are walking a path different from everyone else around us. Makes it tough to have good friends when the kids are crazy and not fun to be around. Thank you for your insight and wisdom. I greatly appreciate it. My mom passed away when I was pregnant with my first, 11 years ago and there are moments and times when I wish I had some motherly advice or a mom to call to talk to about these things. God Bless!
_Leila says
Stephanie, I suggest getting the Tintin series by Herge. You can read about them in this post: http://www.punditandpundette.com/2011/11/children…
along with some other good suggestions!
Stephanie P says
Thank you! There are a lot of great suggestions on this site.
Kathy says
You must have been reading my mind, I've been searching for great book lists and just this week described my childhood library to my older boys and how it was a place of awe and wonder for me. I love, love, love reading about your early library experience as well. I'm so sad that our local library has thrown out most of it's best book and you have to search for great books, but we still go because I have hope that by instilling that same sense of wonder in my own children the library will remain.
Maria says
Hi, I just started a blog a week ago on the subject of great children's books. Mamasbookshelf.blogspot.com
There are only two posts so far and I've never blogged before so right now it's very basic BUT I have three children and love reading so I hope some folks come over and check it out. I have lots of future blogs planned including one on great Bibles for kids. I am so sad to hear your library has no great biographies for kids because our library is awesome and is not lacking in that area. I do hope you and your some of your readers join me!
Dianna says
Could I recommend that you use a site like LibraryThing (my personal favorite – particularly as it handles editions better than most other sites from non-ISBN books and has excellent metadata fields for comments) for the LMLD library? It would be quite fun to watch it grow.
Kimberly says
Oh how wonderful! Thank you so much for the wonderful links. I love books and have a difficult time finding good ones for my 6 year-old. She has taken off like a rocket with her reading and I'm having a hard time finding good books for her. I love the links and cannot wait to see more. What treasures! Yay books. Oh, I so need a good used book sale…
Kris says
Oh what a wonderful post! Thank you! The quiet hush of a library really does communicate a lot of about the value of opportunity there, like you said, and its sad to see that disappearing. I am looking forward to your suggestions!
Gracie says
In addition to bringing back childhood library memories, this lovely post put me in mind of Francie Nolan going to the library in “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn,” and of the “All-of-a-Kind Family” series (one of my favorite series as a child, and one that I would still recommend!), which opens up with the family's weekly trip to the library. Thank you!
Anitra says
We are blessed with an abundance of libraries around here – I regularly take my children to 2 of them: one that's about 1.5 miles from our home, and one that's just down the road from my daughter's school. The near-school one is better for kids, I think; It has that grandeur, but also a VERY large children's section (almost 1/2 of the entire library) with a playroom for the littles. Unfortunately, it's less convenient to go there than to our local library, which is depressingly blocky and uninspiring… but the children's librarian is fantastic, and the adult book selection is much more comprehensive. (By the way, I much prefer a library that has a mix of books, electronics, and meeting space. Libraries are about more than just reading books – they are about obtaining and sharing information. So long as there is still a good selection of books available, I'm happy.)
I'm slowly working my way through the suggested lists in “Honey for a Child's Heart”: especially useful because I now have a 4-year-old who is fully reading on her own. The books she picks out from the library are nearly always the Barbie and princess junk picture books; so we always get a book that's “mommy's pick”, too. And when I pick classics, I often find her reading THOSE over and over again (hooray!)
I do find that this age level is interesting, though – she is capable of reading more than picture books, but doesn't really have the maturity to understand them (for the most part). I think we'll try doing some “listening” to children's novels this summer (I'm thinking Paddington or Little House series) and see if that sparks an interest to read more of the non-junk available to her.
Anna says
As a connection to one of your other posts, I decided just today that my children really should know how to read the card catalog. Not that there are *cards* anymore (I valiantly attempted to promise to never use those computer catalogs!), but the information is still there, in the digital catalog and the inside of the book.
My hometown has only one library. It was built in the 70s, and the children's side is separate from the adult side. But, oh, my! The shelves were high, the ceilings were black. They were all set at an angle, and if you followed the shelves to the corner, it was very quiet and spooky.
kmantoan says
Wonderful Leila. It is discouraging to walk into my local library and see all the computers taken up with teens checking Facebook, while the Young Adult section is gathering dust (not that all the titles in there are worth checking out.) And some times I believe I'm the only mother whose children are not checking out just DVDs. I was quickly identified as a homeschooler by the librarians simply by the quantity of books I checked out.
Theresa says
Yes, the modern library does present quite a problem. So many libraries now even allow food in the heart of the libraries. My local library offers free lunches all summer to children, with no requirement to demonstrate need. This same library also purchased the former YMCA building across the street from it. That building now houses an art gallery, lots of computers, a children's play section, and a community theater. There does not seem to be a book in the entire building. My tax dollars at work! Many of the “good old children's books” have been discarded or are in storage; as a result, children just browsing cannot find those books. I am lucky to live in a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio, which gives me borrowing privileges at Cleveland Public Library, surely one of the best libraries in the country. I can find almost every book I want there (I think only twice has CPL failed me in the course of many years); sometimes, as in the case of some of the harder-to-find Maud Hart Lovelace books, the books are reference-only, but they can always be read in the library.
I would advocate checking out inter-library loan. And go to library book sales. Libraries are still getting rid of the good books. Garage sales are another good source. Many of the books I bought to read to my own children, I am now reading to my grandchildren.
Having criticized my local library so thoroughly, I would like to add that the employees are most helpful and kind.
Anne Marie says
This post reminds me I've been meaning to thank you, Auntie Leila, for recommending “The Wonder Clock” by Howard Pyle a few months ago. Our family just loves that book!
momco3 says
Some of my favorite library memories are the librarians, greeting my father with a book they had set aside for him knowing that he would like it. I almost cried the day this fall when our local librarian greeted my son with a book she had pulled for him thinking he might like it. (And he did.) The joy of the library is not dead everywhere. Thanks for inspiring this discussion.
LJ says
Delightful. I've been musing all day now on the potentialities of having the library building reflect a Dante-like soul…
Sunny-Gem says
My first memory of the library was the mobile one that came to our village. At the time it seemed huge and I scrambled up the steps with difficulty! Even though it was just a big van it still had that hushed quiet and I loved looking at the books and choosing something to read for the week.
Haus Frau says
Our library charges $50 for a card if you don't live in-town. Somehow I never bother to pay it. I'd rather pick and choose good books on Amazon for $50 that we can read no matter what. Somehow the books I select seem a lot less “twaddle” than the current “hot reads.” But then, I'm a geeky English major–for which I do not apologize.
Also, for $50 I can go to our amazing buy/sell/trade book store and get 30 books or so. Jan Brett, Tomie diPaola, Laura Ingalls Wilder, L M Montgomery, they're all there. I've even scored a Tasha Tudor once.
I wish our library didn't charge, believe me. But it has been fun creating our family library in our own way.
Nancy says
Our small farming village in Indiana had an Andrew Carnegie Library. The building was small but beautiful and was very much a part of our lives. Thank you for the book listing from John Senior and others.
Jen N says
It only struck me after reading this post why my 3-year-old daughter might prefer our downtown library to one of the other branches we frequent: because the downtown building is beautiful and historic. I had certainly noticed that myself but hadn't thought about how it must be all the more awe-inspiring to her. Of course!
jamie says
Love it! Thank you…I do have a hard time taking my little ones to the library (all 6 and under.) Yes there are good books at the library (please don't take offense librarians) but there are also so many ridiculous ones mixed in that they beg to take out. I normally try to pre-select the books for them and they have them waiting at the desk for me. It is too difficult to let them choose and bring home things I don't even enjoy reading to them. Every time I regret it. It might not be in inappropriate book, but there are so many wonderful books, why waste your time reading a poorly written one. Hopefully when they are older I will be able to let them have a little more freedom there but we will see.
Jamie says
Forgot to mention – when I was a kid I would cry if the library was closed. I was an addict.
Kristen says
Are you familiar with the picture book “Goin' Someplace Special” by Patricia McKissack? It's about a Black child visiting the public library during segregation. The story is based on the author's experience of visiting the public library in Nashville, TN in the late 1950s, one of the first public places to be integrated. Your post made me think of that book– the library as sanctuary. Thanks for the great post!
Lara says
Growing up, we went to a library that was, at the time, modern. My brothers & I loaded up on books, too. As many as we could carry, and I read all the ones I chose. Love books, love the library! My son loves reading & books, too, but darling daughter hasn't caught the fever yet (and she's 14!). We, too, read Ambleside books and I feel she's getting so much more of an education that she would by reading the pap that's out there now. I'm getting educated as well! I also love the library sales! I've gotten many wonderful old books for next-to-nothing that way!
Nicole says
I love this idea! I'm always on the lookout for older books, so I look forward to reading your recommendations. Thank you all you are doing on this blog. It has really been a source of comfort to me in the midst of my more chaotic days with Small People.
Mama Kitty says
Yes! Yes! Yes! I read like crazy from our public library as a child in the 70's, but would not turn my daughter (now a teenager) loose in the library/”media center” (agree with you there!) for anything!
For those who have access, a university library with a Children's Literature Archive might be what you are looking for. We have access and it has been awesome, because they don't throw anything away. Many authors have one book in print today, but a whole body of delightful work that is not in print, and you can find it at your university library. You still have to be careful, but it seems like there is a lot less pure trash.
Heather says
This post made me very thankful for our public library (Bloomington, IN). Other than Christian books, they have almost everything I look for. The bookmobile comes out in the country where we live and we can have them pull books and bring them to us at the bookmobile. They also always buy any book that you request. The children's area is large, pleasant with a great playroom and an awesome summer reading program. Yes, there s a lot of both trash and twaddle but we try to avoid those as much as possible and enjoy the selections from the classics area and all the amazing audio books, etc. We also have an enormous home library though because I'm addicted to books 🙂 I will say two of the children's librarians had never heard of Pilgrim's Progress though….
Julie says
I wasn't much of a reader as a child, but I clearly remember The Library. The front desk was manned by two disagreeable pseudo librarians who enjoyed glaring at the patrons as they walked up and down the creaky old steps. Despite the unpleasant nature of the building and its guards, I've come to believe you can (almost) never have too many books!
Gillian says
Thank you for this post. I didn’t go to the library often as a child because we lived in the country and it was quite the hike. So for a while, I was thrilled to take my girls to the local library until I realized there were so many books that were not along the lines of our convictions – ie, on display was a book about prostitution as a proper career choice for girls! We still attend the library every few weeks but I carefully monitor what the girls are reading while we are there and usually have a booklist in mind before we head into our (very un-pretty, strip mall type) library.
I’m building a library at home – so much cheaper (in the long run) compared to my late fines! 😉