Module 1 - Miss Brooks Loves Books! (and i don't)

Bibliography

Bottner, B. (2010). Miss Brooks Loves Books! (and I don’t) (M. Emberley, Illus.). New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

Summary

One of the books I read for Module 1 was Miss Brooks Loves Books! (and I don’t) by Barbara Bottner. It is about a little girl in the first grade who hates books. Her librarian, Miss Brooks loves all kinds of books and shows her enthusiasm by dressing up in costumes that represent the main character of the books that she reads to the children. When Miss Brooks announces “Book Week,” which entails each child picking out a favorite book and then wearing a costume as they share it with their classmates, the little first grade girl goes home dreading the assignment. During this week, the little girl does not like any of the books the other kids are sharing. Miss Brooks wants to find a book that the little girl will love and so she sends the little girl home every day with a bag full of books which she reads with her mother. Finally, the little girl thinks of something she would like to read about: warts. They read a book called “Shrek,” and the little girl loves it. She dresses up as an ogre and tells her classmates all about the book she loves.

My Thoughts

One of the things that I really like about this book is the message it portrays that there is a book for every child. As the second to last sentence in the book states, “[Even] ogres (like me) can find something funny and fantastic and appalling in the library,” every child can find a book to love. Because each and every child is so different and unique, it is especially important for libraries to have a wide range of books that cover all types and genres.

Another thing I really like about it is how Bottner and Michael Emberley depict the librarian – Bottner through words and Emberley through illustration – as a quirky but knowledgeable lover of books who is determined to share the love.

Reviews

“A first grader finds her school librarian’s passion for books “vexing,” to say the least. The free-spirited Miss Brooks communicates her love for books by dressing up in costumes ranging from a Wild Thing to Abe Lincoln, but while the rest of the class participates enthusiastically, the little girl remains unmoved. She also dismisses her classmates’ book choices: “Too flowery”; “Too clickety.” But when her mother brings out a book about an ogre with warts – William Steig’s Shrek! – she finally meets a book she can love. In Emberley’s ebullient pencil and watercolor pictures, Miss Brooks’s engaging personality shines through in her colorful clothes and her wild hair, while the little girl’s stubbornness is reflected in her wearing the same outfit day after day. This celebration of books and the need for kids to find the right book will make a great story to read during Children’s Book Week – and every week.”

Lempke, S. D. (2010). [Review of the book Miss Brooks Loves Books! (and I don’t) by B. Bottner] Horn Book Magazine, 86 (3), 62-63.

Ideas for Use

I think this book would make an excellent choice for storytime, or to read it to students before giving them their own assignment to find their favorite book!