Miss Brooks Loves Books (And I Don't)

February 8, 2010
Book Week is looming, and the young narrator of this biblio comedy couldn’t be less enthusiastic—every book in the library strikes her as mild-mannered mush. Her opinion of the titular librarian is even less charitable: a hippie dippie–looking literary cheerleader, Miss Brooks has no compunction about donning ridiculous costumes (including a hilarious Very Hungry Caterpillar) to whip kids into a reading frenzy. “I’ll never love a book the way you do,” the girl tells Miss Brooks. But that’s before she discovers a modern classic that tickles her gothic tastes—Shrek
—confirming Miss Brooks’s belief that everyone “can find something funny and fantastic and appalling in the library.” The heroine makes an indelible presence: Bottner (Raymond and Nelda
) endows her with a voice that drips weltschmerz and recalls a younger version of MTV’s deadpan Daria Morgendorffer. Emberley’s (Mail Harry to the Moon!
) slice-of-life cartooning is funny, empathetic, and of-the-moment. This story should persuade hard-to-please children that the perfect book for them is out there. Ages 5–8.

Starred review from February 1, 2010
PreS-Gr 2-All children need a librarian like Miss Brooks. Her love for reading flows from every fiber of her lanky, quirky self. When not happily immersed in one of the colorful choices from the mountains of books surrounding her, she is dressed as Babar, a Chinese dragon, or a groundhogher puppet-clad arm popping through a hole on the page. She shares stories with a diverse group of young people, and all are captivatedexcept for one. This first-grade narrator believes Miss Brooks is a little too enthusiasticto the point of being "vexing." During Book Week's student presentations, the overall-clad girl with large, round spectacles and a woolen beanie finds the other kids' books "too flowery. Too furry. Too clickety. Too yippity." When her mother observes that she is as "stubborn as a wart," interest is aroused, "Shrek" is discovered in the pile supplied by the librarian, and the transformation begins. An ogre costume and stick-on warts for the whole class complete the conversion to bibliophile. Children will delight in Emberley's spirited watercolor and ink renderings of literary favorites from "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" to a Wild Thing. Bottner's deadpan humor and delicious prose combine with Emberley's droll caricatures to create a story sure to please those who celebrate booksand one that may give pause to those who don't (or who work with the latter)."Wendy Lukehart, Washington DC Public Library"

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2010
Preschool-G A scowling first-grader in spectacles, a knitted hat, and overalls cannot stand her bubbly librarian, who dresses up in costumes for reading circle, where she introduces books about dragons, Pilgrims, presidents, and Groundhogs, even! For Book Week, everyone in class has to bring a favorite story, and the young girl has only grouchy comebacks for the other kids, who enthusiastically share books about trains (too clickety), fairies (too flowery), cowboys (too yuppity), and dogs (too furry). When the librarian sends the little rebel home with a bagful of books, she does not like any of themuntil she finds a story about a stubborn, smelly, snorty ogre with warts, William Steigs Shrek, and that makes her grab more books about ogres, just like her. The cartoon-style illustrations extend the comedy in images of the expressive girl and her librarian, who dresses in wild miniskirts, boots, and flowers and is far from the usual stereotype. Lots of fun for avid and reluctant readers alike.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)