Rating: 
Summary: It's okay to be solitary!
Review: As a librarian, I loved Sarah Stewart's description of books and reading. But as other reviewers have covered this aspect, I won't mention more.In addition, I found her portrayal of Elizabeth Brown refreshing. Although Elizabeth has friends, she spends much time alone reading. She grows up to be a single woman who lives alone and who never marries. It's okay to be solitary! It's okay to be single! Most books are about forming relationships with others. This one is about being yourself in solitude.
Rating: 
Summary: Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend.
Review: Certain books recognize a niche and run at it full throttle. If you've ever known a librarian personally (everyone should be so lucky) then you know that this particular profession is obsessed with itself. Librarians love to seek out librarian related movies ("Party Girl", for example), music (Tori Amos's, "Songs of the Librarian"), and best of all... books! So when Sarah Stewart sat down and wrote a book entitled, "The Library", she basically guaranteed that it would be a success with at least one group of people in the world. Fortunately, the book is a hit with another group as well. Kids.
Our heroine is Elizabeth Brown and our heroine's method of entering the story is to fall from the sky into her mother's outstretched laundry linen. Says the text, "Elizabeth Brown/ Entered the world/ Dropping straight down from the sky/ Elizabeth Brown/ Entered the world/ Skinny, nearsighted, and shy". From the beginning the girl is an avid reader. With her constant companions at her side (a stuffed teddy bear and a continually serene housecat) we watch as Elizabeth Brown goes to school and breaks her own bunk bed with the weight of her books. She lends them to friends and eschews the lure of the opposite sex. Older still, she starts tutoring and lives on her own, reading all the while. Then one day there's no denying it any longer. "She had to face the awful fact". There are just too many books in the house. Without further ado her house becomes a library and she moves in with a female friend. To the end of their days they continue to read, "And turned page... after page... after page".
For readers (especially shy nearsighted ones) who have turned their lives over wholeheartedly to the reading of literature, this book is the ultimate compliment. As a Horn Book Magazine review once said, it shows a woman, "whose life is graceful and meaningful". Reading it myself, I love it. No question. But there is that nagging little voice at the back of my head that questions whether or not Elizabeth Brown did, in fact, lead a "meaningful" life. I suppose she did in the sense that she brought books to other people by opening her library. But her own life was, in a sense, squandered in books. Though she did have a friend at the end, she had no close relationships or fellow human companionship for quite some time. Then again, it's a good children's book that makes you ponder the meaning of what constitutes a rich and full life. Such big questions for such small packages.
As for the illustrations by David Small... they are without fault. I've read a lot of David Small books in my day, and to my mind this one is his best work in terms of skill. I've heard mumbles in the bookselling community that Small (married to the book's author Sarah Stewart) tends to make her the star of his illustrations on a regular basis. Just check out "The Money Tree" if you don't believe me. In this case, Small's somewhat choppy style has been tamed and given a great deal of depth and feeling. There are tiny evocative details in this story that charm as often as they impress. In a section that describes the seasons, a small blue colored bird grasps a flowering tree's branch between its little clawed feet. Delicate line drawings of leaves and snowflakes fall on either side of the text. And on each and every page the corners of the illustrations are held within beautiful cornerpieces. For kids, there's the added fun of trying to find Elizabeth Brown's teddy bear and cat in almost every illustration.
The book takes a love of reading to a safe extreme. It teaches children the joy of the process while, at the same time, being a fun and friendly book in and of itself. It's a little peculiar to read a book about reading (especially if you're a child) but I don't think they'll mind. In the end, it's so filled with a love of literature that even the most die hard television couch potato who happens to see it will be charmed. Altogether, a wonderful little work.
Rating:
Summary: Always Another Good Book to Read.....
Review: Elizabeth Brown always loved books. In fact, "She didn't like to play with dolls,/She didn't like to skate./She learned to read quite early/And at an incredible rate." And through her long life, Elizabeth was never without a book, even while vacuuming or shopping or even exercising. As the years passed, her collection grew until every surface was covered with books. "When volumes climbed the parlor walls/And blocked the big front door,/She had to face the awful fact/She could not have one more." So Elizabeth Brown did the wise and generous thing, she shared her books with the entire town in a very original way..... The wonderful husband and wife team of Sarah Stewart and David Small have authored a delightful and entertaining story about an endearing red-headed, nearsighted bibliophile. Ms Stewart's simple and gentle, rhyming text sparkles, and is complemented by Mr Small's charming and humorous artwork. Children and adults alike will enjoy all the wonderfully special details in each picture. Together word and art paint an engaging portrait of a unique and spirited, book-loving heroine who won't be soon forgotten. Perfect for youngsters 4-8, The Library is a classic little treasure to read and share with the entire family, and is definitely a must for each and every home library.
Rating:
Summary: Always Another Good Book to Read.....
Review: Elizabeth Brown always loved books. In fact, "She didn't like to play with dolls,/She didn't like to skate./She learned to read quite early/And at an incredible rate." And through her long life, Elizabeth was never without a book, even while vacuuming or shopping or even exercising. As the years passed, her collection grew until every surface was covered with books. "When volumes climbed the parlor walls/And blocked the big front door,/She had to face the awful fact/She could not have one more." So Elizabeth Brown did the wise and generous thing, she shared her books with the entire town in a very original way..... The wonderful husband and wife team of Sarah Stewart and David Small have authored a delightful and entertaining story about an endearing red-headed, nearsighted bibliophile. Ms Stewart's simple and gentle, rhyming text sparkles, and is complemented by Mr Small's charming and humorous artwork. Children and adults alike will enjoy all the wonderfully special details in each picture. Together word and art paint an engaging portrait of a unique and spirited, book-loving heroine who won't be soon forgotten. Perfect for youngsters 4-8, The Library is a classic little treasure to read and share with the entire family, and is definitely a must for each and every home library.
Rating:
Summary: The Library
Review: For those of us who, like Elizabeth Brown, prefer books to
almost anything else..Sarah Steward has delightfully and
amusingly told our story...it is a joy to read and in my book-
filled home it will be in a place of honor on the coffee table for all to read and smile and maybe...even...begin to understand!!
Rating: 
Summary: Boring
Review: Given all the glowing reviews, I bought this book & was very unimpressed. Illustrations are good, but the story is boring. There are so many other great kids books out there, like: King Bidgood's in the Bathtub, Slinky Malinki or I Love You Stinky Face.
Rating:
Summary: Fabulous!
Review: I adore the books of Sarah Stewart. I plan to use these books when I start teaching. Although I live and will work in a majority minority neighborhood, I know any child that can read will love to read this.
Rating:
Summary: What can happen when you become an avid reader?
Review: I bought this book when I was in the midst of a grass roots effort to get a new library built in my small town. That library opened four days ago. Fortunately, unlike the heroine in the book, my motivation was not driven by the need to find a home for too many books, although that new library does contain some of my overflow! This is a wonderful book about the joy of reading, and the sharing of that joy with others. Some of us choose to share it through teaching, others through library work or literacy programs. Our heroine literally shares with her whole community when her collection grows too large for her living quarters. A wonderful book to share with you favorite reader, or advocate for reading. A copy will find its way to our beautiful new library soon!
Rating:
Summary: A Heroine for Young Bookworms
Review: If a little girl in your life has an interest in dolls, sports, games or any other childhood distraction, buying a gift is a simple task of choosing from among the many items available. What if you know a little girl whose greatest pleasure is reading above any other activity? You could choose just about any book, but the perfect gift would be "The Library," which features Elizabeth Brown who loved books more than anything else. Elizabeth proves that it's possible to live a fulfilled life with only books, books and more books. Even in her old age, she had a smile of complete contentment on her face when holding a book in one hand and petting her cat with the other. Sarah Stewart's charming book about a real girl who grew up to be a reader, book collector and librarian will make you smile, too. "The Library" has a simple rhyming text that would be a great way to introduce little ones to the joys of visiting a library and reading. This is an absolute gem of a book, and one of those rare children's picture books that will appeal to children and adults as well.
Rating:
Summary: A must have for all book lovers.
Review: Sarah Stewart has crafted a wonderful story of Elizabeth Brown, nearsighted and shy, who is not very good at sports. Elizabeth Brown learns to read and from that moment on, she is emmersed in books. From climbing under the covers with a flashlight to read until late at night, to reading in class, to playing library with her friends, Elizabeth loves her books. As she grows up, she chooses books as her companions and fills her house with books. Like many people who love books, she passes up new clothes and snacks and looks for new books to read. Soon her house is filled to the brim with books, books are everywhere!And Elizabeth still always has a book in her hand, no matter what she is doing. Finally, realizing she hasn't room for one more single book she decides to find a new use for her beloved books. This whimsical story will spark recognition in older readers and delight youngsters. Once again, Sarah Stewart and David Small have teamed to creat the very best of books. This is a delight.
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