Archive: My First Library
Our authors share their memories of their first Library:
with Chris Vaccari, Director of Library Marketing, Sterling
“When I wasn’t getting allergy shots or playing Space Invaders at the arcade, I was at the Queens Borough Public Library in Douglaston, NY, reading sports books by Matt Christopher and seeing what Encyclopedia Brown and the Hardy Boys were doing. I remember being drawn to one Hardy Boys cover in particular: The Mystery of the Chinese Junk. I also would check out a book on the Hindenburg because a survivor of the infamous accident lived two blocks away. Every year when I head home for Thanksgiving, I like to go back to the branch and recall the many happy days I spent there.”
What has Chris added to his collection since his days at QBPL? Visit him on Library Thing to see.
from John Cech
“The Riverside (Illinois) Library, with its beamed ceilings and fireplace was where I had my first real taste of books. The grey stone gothic library sat on the hill overlooking the bend in the DesPlaines River we called the Swan Pond. We sledded there in winter, rode bikes down the hill in summer, and year-round I found myself warming up or cooling off inside reading through Wanda Gág’s Grimms’ Fairy Tales, Howard Pyle’s Robin Hood, and that dazzling newcomer, Dr. Seuss. It was a perfect place.”
Reviews
“…beautifully illustrated…The language is accessible…lustrous, richly colored paintings…Overall,this edition looks gorgeous, and is worth adding to library collections or giving as a Christmas gift.” – Booklist
“…a good choice for an extended read-aloud.”- School Library Journal
“…a provocative and layered conceptualization.” – Publishers Weekly
with Bobbi Katz, “ghost-writer” of The Monsterologist
“My first-grade friend, Patty O’Donavan, told me about a big house full of books called the Newburgh Free Library (NY). You could borrow two at a time if you had a library card! I begged my mom to let me go there. She worked six days a week, and we lived too many streets away for me to cross alone. Finally, two years later, on my eighth birthday, I was invited to Patty’s house for cupcakes and tea. “And now,” said Mrs. O’Donavan, “let’s go to the library!”
REVIEW: “…offers a collection of hideous beastie–based verses…bursts of devilish humor and winking creepiness keep things moving, and McCauley’s well-designed pages— outfitted in a sort of loose, splashy collage, with a few sturdy fold-outs—have browsing appeal.” – Booklist
Visit The Monsterologist online for audio poems, fun & games.
with Peter Yarrow, author of The Peter Yarrow Songbook: Let’s Sing Together!
“Since my mother was a High School English teacher she considered my first visit to the 96th St Public Library (NYPL) in New York City, at age 8, a very important event. The librarian listened carefully to my request for her recommendation, and the first book I took out was by Howard Pease, called “Wind In the Rigging” which was followed by “The Jinx Ship”. Looking back now, I realize that many of the songs I’ve written started out as ideas from far off places that I encountered in books recommended by that very special librarian at the 96th Street Library in New York City.”
REVIEW “The illustrated format will draw in younger children, ideally prompting them to ask for a group sing, and the author’s notes and messages will both encourage young musicians’ creativity and add insight into the songs’ history.” – Kirkus Reviews
with Tammi Sauer, author of Chicken Dance
“The library I went to as a child was the Hays Public Library in Hays, Kansas. Story hour was held in a room at the top of the stairs. On my very first visit, the librarian aimed a film projector at the wall and clicked off the lights. Then I met Max from WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE. Little did I know, I’d still be in awe of him more than thirty years later.”
“A duck-and-chicken rivalry turns foul in this outrageous offering. Barn animals compete in a talent show to win Elvis Poultry concert tickets; creative wordplay abounds (“Let’s bawk and roll!”). Fly the coop to enjoy this hilarious adventure.”
– Kirkus Reviews
with Linda Ashman, author of Creaky Old House (Available August 2009)
“My first library was a beautiful old red-brick building located a few blocks away from us in Flemington, NJ. What a sense of wonder I felt walking in with my mother—all those glorious books! My favorites were fairy tales, biographies (Jane Addams made a lasting impression), and Dr. Seuss—particularly And to Think That I Saw it on Mulberry Street and Horton Hears a Who (the subject of my very first book report).”
“Stella’s poetic narrative is one bark above the rest.”
- Kirkus Reviews
…with Janie Bynum, author of Kiki’s Blankie
“My memories of my first library include that intoxicating library smell—a unique mix of paper and pages, both old and new—a smell of wonders and adventure, promises from Harry the Dirty Dog and Pippi Longstocking. As a kid, I visited the Dallas Public Library/Casa View branch every Saturday, a stack of picture books stretching my little arms their full length as I returned my week’s books.”
REVIEW
“The loss and recovery of a favorite stuffed animal or blanket is a familiar premise in children’s literature. Here, this time-honored story line is given a fresh twist: the child herself, rather than an adult, is responsible for recovering her missing blankie. Appealing, cartoonlike illustrations… This would work well as a storytime read-aloud…”
- Booklist
Jim Arnosky, author & illustrator of Slither & Crawl
“I don’t remember using a library until I discovered our local branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia in the 8th grade. I had no idea you could take the books home, so I walked to the library each day after school to read Dracula by Bram Stoker. When daylight left the big windows, I’d walk home in the dark filled with the delightfully frightening scenes of Stoker’s tale. When I began to read Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the librarian let me know I could take the book with me. However, I very much liked reading there, and finished the book in the same manner as I had read Dracula.”
NEW! BOOKLIST REVIEW!
“Highlighted by four single gatefolds, this large-format gallery of life-size painted portraits really allows readers to get up close and personal with several dozen modern reptiles… the author adds cautionary notes about observing reptiles in the wild…”
Also from Jim Arnosky: Wild Tracks!
Roxie Munro, author of Go, Go, Go! says,
“My small rural village on the Chesapeake Bay was served once a week by the Anne Arundel County Bookmobile. We’d stand watch for it. At that time (the 50’s) the road in front of our house wasn’t paved, so it was exciting to see the dust roil up in the distance and know that any minute it would arrive, full of exciting adventures and stories of worlds far away from Shady Side, Maryland. Because of the beautiful vivid illustrations by Arthur Szyk, full of detail and pattern, “Andersen’s Fairy Tales” is one of the first books I remember. It had color plates, and glorious endpapers.”
Jen Bryant, author of Abe’s Fish (February 2009)
“I grew up on Main Street, one block from the Flemington (NJ) Public Library. I faithfully attended their Saturday Story Hour to hear Mrs. Bamber (often with her Chihuahua) read stories by Dr. Seuss, Maurice Sendak and Marguerite Henry. As an independent reader, my favorite series was The Black Stallion, by Walter Farley.”
Scott Magoon, illustrator of Otto Grows Down
“I have wonderful memories of my first library, the Hills Memorial Library in Hudson, New Hampshire. It was located next to my elementary school and our teachers were great about bringing my class and me over every week. I think I must have signed out every single Hardy Boys book in the series from their shelves over those few years. The library also had a really cool bookmobile that I think was an old army truck painted a bright reddish orange and crammed with books. A great old truck.”