Pistes d'exploration

Think about yourself as a reader. How have your reading skills and interests changed over time (from the time you were a toddler until now)?

Retell the story with a partner. Refer to the pictures to help you remember the order of the important events.

Share a favourite book with the class, just like Missy and her classmates do. Bring in a costume or prop and explain your reasons for choosing the book.

Discuss the two protagonists, Missy and Miss Brooks. Draw character maps for the girl and the librarian. Include physical and personality characteristics.

List the books mentioned in the story. Do you know any of them? Some librarians sort books by genre. Are French and English genres the same? How would you sort the suggested books?

Share a favourite book with your classmates (display a prop or wear a costume, if possible). Explain your choice.

Explore librarian characters in other books. Compare them with Miss Brooks and with your school librarian.

The Library, Miss Moore Thought Otherwise: How Anne Carroll Moore Created Libraries for Children

Mots-clés

Picture book , books , librarians , libraries , preferences , reading , school life

Commentaire descriptif

Miss Brooks is an enthusiastic librarian who dresses in zany costumes for storytime and is wildly passionate about books. Missy, the Grade One narrator, is skeptical: “I think Miss Brooks gets a little too excited. I bet her costumes itch.” The deadpan voice of Missy is pitch-perfect, with larger-than-life watercolour and pencil illustrations to match. Loveable, quirky characters come alive through marvellous facial expressions and exaggerated gestures. Miss Brooks’ exuberant announcement that “IT’S BOOK WEEK!!” has Missy slouching off, hands in pockets, eyes hidden behind her glasses. Missy’s earnest classmates present books on fairies, dogs and trains, but she is unimpressed: “Too flowery. Too furry. Too clickety.” When Missy’s mother suggests she is “stubborn as a wart,” her daughter finally gets the inspiration she needs. A book about an ogre is one she can love. Told from a child’s point of view in a wonderfully appealing first-person voice, this celebration of librarians and books will delight both avid and reluctant readers.