Miss Dorothy and Her Bookmobile

by Gloria Houston, Susan Condie Lamb (Illustrator)

Overview

From Gloria Houston and Susan Condie Lamb comes the true story of Miss Dorothy, an enterprising and dedicated librarian who drove a bookmobile to bring books to her neighbors in Appalachia, in this companion volume to My Great-Aunt Arizona. This nonfiction picture book is an excellent choice to share during homeschooling, in particular for children ages 6 to 8. It’s a fun way to learn to read and as a supplement for activity books for children.

Dorothy's dearest wish is to be a librarian in a fine brick library just like the one she visited when she was small. But her new home in North Carolina has valleys and streams but no libraries, so Miss Dorothy and her neighbors decide to start a bookmobile. Instead of people coming to a fine brick library, Miss Dorothy can now bring the books to them—at school, on the farm, even once in the middle of a river!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780060291556
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	01/25/2011
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	348,420
Product dimensions:	10.10(w) x 8.80(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	AD1030L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Gloria Houston is the author of numerous books for children, including My Great-Aunt Arizona, illustrated by Susan Condie Lamb, which was a Smithsonian Treasure, a Family Channel's Best Book, an IRA Teachers' and Children's Choices book, and an NCTE Best Book, among other honors. She also wrote The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree, illustrated by Barbara Cooney, which was an annual Publishers Weekly Bestseller and was named a Best Book of the Decade by the American Library Association. She currently lives in North Carolina.

Susan Condie Lamb has illustrated several other picture books for children, including the beloved My Great-Aunt Arizona by Gloria Houston. Now writing and illustrating her own projects, Susan lives in Connecticut.

Editorial Reviews

The team that introduced the inspiring rural North Carolina teacher in My Great-Aunt Arizona revisits the Blue Ridge Mountains for this tale that pays tribute to a beloved and dedicated librarian from Houston's childhood. Growing up in Massachusetts, Dorothy always wanted to be a librarian and to work in "a fine brick library just like the one in the center of the square in her hometown." But love and marriage derail her grand plan, landing her on a farm in North Carolina and in a community with no library at all. The can-do spirit of her neighbors and Miss Dorothy's passion for sharing books soon blossom into a wildly popular bookmobile operation, and later a small free-standing library. Houston writes with a knowing, warm tone about a woman who touched the lives of many and cherished the ripple effect of her actions. Lamb's bucolic pencil-and-watercolor scenes feel like a family scrapbook of rural mid–20th century life, right down to the design of the hefty but reliable green bookmobile. Ages 6–9. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

K-Gr 2—Based on the librarian from the author's childhood, the story follows one woman's dedication to bringing reading material to people in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Starting with hauling books up from her basement to later driving around in the town's green bookmobile, Miss Dorothy eventually inspires the town to purchase a building for a library of their very own. Beautiful, soft landscapes of the rugged terrain throughout the seasons serve as a backdrop for this charming story of a librarian on the go. While Miss Dorothy's dreams of a stately brick building as a true library seems to undermine the worth of the bookmobile a bit, the overall effect is that of nostalgia and a sweet homage to a special woman. Most adult readers have a memory of a Miss Dorothy in their lives, be it a teacher, neighbor, or librarian, and most children will enjoy this look back in time. A lovely addition to any collection.—Sarah Townsend, Norfolk Public Library, VA

School Library Journal