Review By Gabrielle

Lydia finds a home at the library in this charming picture book based on a true story.

Favourite Quote:
“Behind that desk was my new friend. She had kind eyes, a gentle face, and a laugh like bubbles.”

Goodreads Synopsis: 

When Lydia was five years old, she and her family had to leave their home. They hopped from Grandma’s house to Aunt Linda’s house to Cousin Alice’s house, but no place was permanent. Then one day, everything changed. Lydia’s mom took her to a new place — not a house, but a big building with stone columns, and tall, tall steps. The library.

In the library, Lydia found her special spot across from the sunny window, at a round desk. For behind that desk was her new friend, the librarian. Together, Lydia and the librarian discovered a world beyond their walls, one that sparkled with spectacular joy.

It’s no secret that I am a library lover. I work at one during the day so I may be a little biased, but even as a small child, I loved the library. To me libraries are magic. All that knowledge just sitting there for free! And everyone is welcome at the library. It is probably not surprising given my penchant for libraries, that I found this a touching story.

Lydia is going through a tough time. She’s had to move to a new state and because her Dad hasn’t found a new job yet, they are staying with family and moving around quite a bit. She finds solace and a sense of belonging at her local library. I could definitely relate to Lydia’s feelings about the library as I too, felt that as a kid. Although I didn’t have a particular librarian friend like Lydia, I do believe it takes a special kind of person to be a librarian so it wasn’t at all surprising that she found one that made a big difference in her life.

It ends up that this story is based on author Lydia’s own experience as a child. There is even a picture at the back of her as an adult standing with the Librarian from her childhood along with a note from the author. I might have teared up a little when I saw it. 

A fitting ode to the important work of libraries, Dear Librarian is a worthwhile read for any library lover.