Module 7: Miss Moore Thought Otherwise

Module 7: Miss Moore Thought Otherwise

Book Summary:

In bright colors and picture book format, readers are introduced to Anne Carroll Moore who helped to pioneer children's libraries. Miss Moore grew up in a time when children were not allowed inside libraries and girls still married quite young. However, she decided to follow in her father's footsteps and become a lawyer. After some time dealing with family issues, Miss Moore moved to New York to attend library school. She began work at Pratt Free Library and helped with plans for a new library room, just for children. She would read to the children in the evenings, just like her father had read to her. Miss Moore was then asked to be in charge of children's sections at all 36 New York public library branches! From there, the movement picked up more and more speed until many libraries were opening or adding special rooms just for children to their branches and not only in the United States, but other countries were copying this model as well.

APA Reference of Book:

Pinborough, J. (2013). Miss Moore thought otherwise. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children.

Impressions:

The story itself is wonderfully clever with the little catchphrase "Miss Moore thought otherwise" being used throughout the book. Every time Miss Moore was about to shake up some traditions, they would use this little catchphrase as an indicator. It is fun to see how Anne Carroll Moore took little and big steps to advance libraries for children. Not only did she become a librarian when women were just beginning to enter the field, but she quickly became head of the New York Public Libraries'  Children's Section. She made great strides in children's librarianship and programming; she never let anything slow her down or traditional stand in the way of advances for children's librarianship.

The illustrator used wonderful colors and illustrations in this book that really help to draw the reader into the story. Sometimes it felt like the text had to be fit into the illustration itself because it was so bold and bright. There are so many wonderful details if you look close, but you can also get the main idea at a glance. The illustrations really helped illustrate and emphasize the text. Everything was so vivid emphasizing that everything in this book: the subject matter, the text and the illustrations were all for the children.

Professional Review:

Miss Moore Thought Otherwise:

How Anne Carroll Moore Created Libraries for Children

by Jan Pinborough; 
illus. by Debby Atwell

Primary    Houghton    40 pp.

3/13    978-0-547-47105-1    $16.99

Nowadays, Anne Carroll Moore is remembered as the fiercest of the library ladies whose influence on children’s library service and publishing was both inspirational and — sometimes — intractable. But this easygoing picture-book biography forgoes coverage of the more formidable aspects of Moore’s personality, giving us instead a simple narrative of Moore’s Maine childhood and early love of books on through to her career at the New York Public Library, where she created the innovative Central Children’s Room for the library’s new main building in 1911. With sun-dappled acrylic paintings of, first, rural Maine and, later, triumphantly, the light-filled interiors of the new Children’s Room, the tone here is one of uncomplicated optimism, reflecting Moore’s practical idealism. A bird’s-eye view of Miss Moore setting off on her “retirement” travels spreading the gospel of children’s librarianship across the land clearly places this apostle in the company of her (fictional) Maine sister, Miss Rumphius. “More about Miss Moore” and a list of sources are appended.

Sutton, R. (2013). [Review of the book Miss Moore thought otherwise, by J. Pinborough]. Horn Book Magazine. Retrieved from: http://www.hbook.com/category/choosing-books/horn-book-magazine/

Library Uses:

Include in a display in the children's section about books, libraries, and librarians.