Library Girl: How Nancy Pearl Became America's Most Celebrated Librarian
by Karen Henry Clark (Author) Sheryl Murray (Illustrator)
Nancy Pearl loved books and spent so much time in her school library that her grade school classmates teased her, calling her “library girl.” When she discovers her neighborhood public library is open on Saturday, she begins the adventure of her lifetime. There, an inspiring librarian recognizes her abilities, recommends books that ignite her vivid imagination, and provides experiences to bolster her burgeoning self-confidence. As she loses herself in the books she finds herself in their pages and comes to recognize her strengths. Her self-discovery brings a realization at a young age that she wants to become a librarian so she can help children discover their dreams.
This young girl, Nancy Pearl, grows up to become “America’s Most Celebrated Librarian,” devoting her life to talking about books up and down library aisles, on radio and television, at conferences and colleges around the world. Ultimately, she authors books about books, believing that reading allows people to find dreams of their own . . . with the turn of every page.
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School Library Journal
PreS-Gr 2--This picture book biography draws a straight line from Nancy Pearl's childhood love of books, her school library, and her discovery of the public library to her long career as a librarian. As a girl, Pearl "loved reading more than recess," and other kids made fun of her. She found refuge in the school library, and then the public library, where two librarians supplied her with books about horses and even provided her first readers' advisory platform, asking her to give a talk to other kids about horse books. A bicycle crash en route to her talk provides a moment of drama, but a kind milkman helps Nancy arrive in time. The illustrations are in dreamy, soft pastel colors, with scenes emerging from books or her imagination in translucent blues and white. Back matter includes photographs and an author's note, awards, and books by Pearl, but no bibliography, time line, or sources for quotes. VERDICT A good addition to biography collections.--Jenny Arch
Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.Review quotes
"The illustrations are in dreamy, soft pastel colors, with scenes emerging from books or her imagination in translucent blues and white. A good addition to biography collections."—School Library Journal
The book is full of wonderful details and real people"—Real Change Newspaper
SHERYL MURRAY grew up near Chicago in a rambunctious family of eight kids. Storytelling was an everyday thing at her house: whether it was a family backyard theatrical production, making up bedtime stories for her younger brothers or convincing her mom that she couldn't possibly have been the one who drew on the baby. She was also the family artist, drawing on everything and everyone. Sheryl now focuses her love for drawing and visual storytelling on picture books. She lives in Portland, Oregon.
JNF053160 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Social Topics | Self-Esteem & Self-Reliance
Picture books
United States
Librarians
Pearl, Nancy
