Miss Brooks Loves Books (And I Don't)

by Barbara Bottner, Michael Emberley (Illustrator)

Overview

With the help of Miss Brooks, Missy’s classmates all find books they love in the library—books about fairies and dogs and trains and cowboys. But Missy dismisses them all—“Too flowery, too furry, too clickety, too yippity.”

Still, Miss Brooks remains undaunted. Book Week is here and Missy will find a book to love if they have to empty the entire library. What story will finally win over this beastly, er, discriminating child? William Steig’s Shrek!—the tale of a repulsive green ogre in search of a revolting bride—of course!

Barbara Bottner and Michael Emberley pay playful homage to the diverse tastes of child readers and the valiant librarians who are determined to put just the right book in each child’s hands.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781984852106
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	12/11/2018
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	153,529
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.00(d)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Barbara Bottner is the author of more than 36 books. She lives in Los Angeles.

Michael Emberley has been writing and illustrating children’s books since 1979. He lives in Ireland.

Editorial Reviews

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 groundhog—her puppet-clad arm popping through a hole on the page. She shares stories with a diverse group of young people, and all are captivated—except for one. This first-grade narrator believes Miss Brooks is a little too enthusiastic—to 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 books—and one that may give pause to those who don't (or who work with the latter).—Wendy Lukehart, Washington DC Public Library

School Library Journal

Starred Review, School Library Journal, February 2010:
“Bottner’s deadpan humor and delicious prose combine with Emberley’s droll caricatures to create a story sure to please.”
 
Review, Publishers Weekly, February 8, 2010:
“The heroine makes an indelible presence… 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.”

Review, Kirkus Reviews, February 1, 2010:
“In a word: lovable.

From the Publisher

All of her classmates find books they like in the library with the help of the enthusiastic, book-loving librarian Miss Brooks. But Missy, our first-grade narrator, remains unimpressed. As they celebrate books through the seasons and holidays, Miss Brooks keeps trying. During Book Week, when she must share a story in costume with the class, Missy can think of nothing that interests her—except warts. Then her mother reads her Shrek. And she loves it! Her report is a success; Miss Brooks is delighted. Her message is clear: everyone can find something in the library. Missy seems a bit pathetic at first, dumpy, with straggly hair. Miss Brooks is far from a stereotypical librarian, wearing clunky boots and many braids. Emberly pictures them, along with the other book-loving students and Missy's patient, supportive mother, light-heartedly around and across the pages, using pencil, "scanned, then printed ...using waterproof inks, then painted with tube watercolors." What fun to read aloud in the library! Reviewer: Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz

Children's Literature - Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz