Miss Brooks Loves Books (and I don't)
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.
REVIEWS:
KIRKUS REVIEW
MISS BROOKS LOVES BOOKS! (AND I DON’T)
Guaranteed to be warmly welcomed by librarians everywhere, this paean to the joys of reading will find an enthusiastic audience among kids and parents as well. The first-grade narrator is clearly an iconoclast—and a curmudgeon. She wears the same scruffy overalls and striped hat (pulled down to her eyes) throughout, turns away from reading circle to pursue her own interests and doesn’t even bother with a Halloween costume. She looks askance at Miss Brooks, the tall, lanky (and, in her opinion, overenthusiastic) librarian who dresses up for storytime and urges her listeners to share their favorites with the group. After the narrator rejects her classmates’ picks, Miss Brooks sends yet another pile home, with similar results. When her remarkably patient mother opines that she is “as stubborn as a wart,” however, a seed is planted. A book with warts (Shrek) is found, loved and shared with great success. Bottner’s deadpan delivery is hilarious, while Emberley’s exaggerated illustrations, executed in watercolor and pencil by way of computer, bring her charmingly quirky characters perfectly to life. In a word: lovable. (Picture book. 5-8)
Click to see original review by KIRKUS
Publishers Weekly
Barbara Bottner, Author, Michael Emberley, Illustrator , illus. by Michael Emberley. (32p) ISBN 978-0-375-84682-3
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. (Mar.)
Centennial Library Review
Review:
Miss Brooks, the librarian, loves book and tries to impart her love of books to the next generation. She dresses up in costumes and makes the stories come alive for the children, but one little girl does not like any of the books they read. Unfortunately for the little girl, Miss Brooks has assigned Book Week. Every first grader must pick their favorite book, dress up in a costume, and present their story to the class. The little girl claims that she has no favorite book. Miss Brooks sends her home with many books so that she can find one she likes. The little girl objects to every book but finally stumbles upon Shrek! She loves the story about the ogre and his warts, which demonstrates that there are books for everyone in the library.
The story of this book was very well presented and is applicable to a young audience. Some children do not like to read and think that there are no books that they could enjoy, but this book shows otherwise. A parent, teacher, or librarian of young children could use this book to encourage their students to read, even those who do not like to read. This book also applies to a wide audience of children and includes those who enjoy reading and those who do not. Recommended. Amanda Snyder. Centennial Library Intern.
GOODREADS
Miss Brooks Loves Books!
(Miss Brooks #1)
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.