Module 1: Miss Brooks Loves Books! (and I don't)

Miss Brooks Loves Books! (and I don't)

Book Summary:

This is a story of a young girl who does not share the joy and passion for reading as her librarian, Miss Brooks.  While some students enjoy Miss Brooks’ excitement and the costumes that she wears during story time, the little girl seems annoyed.  Then, Miss Brooks announces that the students will be participating in Book Week and will be expected to choose a book, wear a costume, and share with the class why he/she loves that particular book.  The little girl struggles with finding a book that interests her and believes that she will never find a book that she loves as much as Miss Brooks loves books.  However, after reading numerous books, the little girl finally finds a book with warts and ogres that she absolutely falls in love with!

APA Reference of Book:

Bottner, B. (2010). Miss Brooks loves books! (and I don’t). New York, NY: Knopf Books for Young Readers.

Impressions:

Miss Brooks Loves Books! (and I don’t) is a humorous story that I will certainly be using with my class before our first visit to the school library.  I believe it is an excellent book to use to introduce the library and its abundance of resources.  I love the message in this story of how the library has something to offer everyone.  In order to help new, reluctant, or struggling readers, teachers and librarians must help their students find books that are interesting to that individual.  This book does an excellent job of explaining that the library is filled with books of all subjects.  I also love how the character appears to be a bit tomboyish in her reading selections than most girls her age typically are.  As a kindergarten teacher, I have seen many little girls get upset when someone automatically assumes that their favorite color is pink and that they love princesses.  I believe that the little girl in this story represents someone that all students can relate to, both girls and boys.    

Professional Review:

School Library Journal

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).

Source:

Lukehart, W. (2010). Miss Brooks loves books! (and I don't) [Review of the book Miss Brooks loves books! (and I don’t), by B. Bottner]. School Library Journal, 56(2), 76. Retrieved from http://www.slj.com

Found through UNT’s Library Database- Book Review Digest Plus (H.W. Wilson) on EBSCOhost

Library Uses:

This book would be excellent to use during the first few weeks of the school year when students start visiting the library.  It provides an excellent introduction as to what a library is and what it has to offer.  In addition, it does an outstanding job of explaining a few of the many jobs of a librarian (e.g. helping students find books that interest them and instill the love of reading).  After reading the book, the librarian could ask the students what types of books they enjoy reading and go on a little “tour” of the library to locate books based on these topics.  The librarian could even further enhance this “tour” and model using the library’s catalog to locate books that encompass a variety of different subjects.