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The Library in the Woods
CCBC Review:
Moving to Roxboro, North Carolina, in 1959, a Black boy is introduced to the unexpected pleasure of a library. After bad weather ruins his crops two years in a row, Junior’s father moves the family to the city, where Junior is impressed by his new friends’ televisions and books—“and I do not mean schoolbooks.” They read books for fun, books that they check out at the library. While public libraries are segregated, this African American community has its “own library” in a log cabin in the woods. To Junior, the collection is astounding, not least for the number of Black authors it includes. He checks out three books: for himself, his mother, and his father. Daddy sits on the porch with his book every night. When it comes time for the books to be returned, Junior’s mom tells him “something important”: His father can’t read. She suggests Junior read aloud to him. “Your daddy taught you [how to swim and fish] with love and kindness, and that is how you will read his book to him.” Junior is hesitant, but as he reads aloud to his father, he notices joyful tears in Daddy’s eyes. Based on the library the author grew up visiting, this book concludes with a wonderful Author’s Note describing the importance of that library and the culture of literacy cultivated by its librarian. Soft acrylic paintings in a muted palette punctuated by swaths of cheerful gold further help situate the reader in time. ©2026 Cooperative Children’s Book Center
Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie
CCBC Age Recommendation: 6-9
Age Range:
PreK-Early Elementary (Ages 4-7)
Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-10)
Format:
Picture book
Subjects:
African Americans
Books and Reading
Fathers
Historical Fiction
Libraries and Librarians
Segregation
Diversity subject:
Black/African
Publishers:
Carolrhoda, Lerner
Publish Year: 2025
Pages: 32
ISBN: 9781541599123
CCBC Location: Picture Book, Ramsey