The Library

Meet an unforgettable bibliophile

Elizabeth Brown doesn't like to play with dolls and she doesn't like to skate. What she does like to do is read books. Lots of books. The only problem is that her library has gotten so big she can't even use her front door any more. What should Elizabeth Brown do? Start her own public library, of course! With charming verse and watercolors Sarah Stewart and David Small celebrate one of America's oldest and finest institutions.

Publishers Weekly

The creators of The Money Tree paint a blithe yet affectionate portrait of a woman whose life centers on reading. Elizabeth Brown's obsession begins in childhood:


She didn't like to play with dolls,
She didn't like to skate.
She learned to read quite early
And at an incredible rate.

Stewart's nimble verse follows the bibliophile through the years as she fills her home with books. Finally,


when volumes climbed the parlor walls
And blocked the big front door,
She had to face the awful fact
She could not have one more.

Elizabeth then decides to share her wealth: she donates her collection to the town, turns her home into a library and - of course - continues to read voraciously. Attuned to the story's humor and period setting, Small's (George Washington's Cows) airy illustrations charm with historical touches and soothing pastel hues. Triple-ruled black borders and filigreed corners suggest a family album of old, while black-and-white spot art highlights details of a singular life. The book's dedication adds a poignant note— "To the memory of the real Mary Elizabeth Brown, Librarian, Reader, Friend 1920-1992." All ages. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

In this "blithe yet affectionate portrait of a woman whose life centers on reading," said PW, "Small's airy illustrations charm with historical touches and soothing pastel hues." All ages. (Sept.) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Children's Literature

Elizabeth Brown loves books-reading and collecting them, and ultimately sharing them. Small's whimsical drawings capture the superfluous volumes as they threaten to overtake Elizabeth Brown's house: "When volumes climbed the parlor walls/ And blocked the big front door,/ She had to face the awful fact/ She could not have one more." Small's pictures show the volumes creating overwhelming towers in all available space, comically creeping out of the neatly black-framed illustrations, and spilling over into the gutters of the book. Elizabeth Brown's solution to this book problem is to share her books with everyone in the truly delightful book.