Looking Back

Each summer I attempt to read some history and criticism of children’s and YA literature from earlier decades. One of the people I have been reading a bit about recently is Anne Carroll Moore, a pioneer of children’s librarianship and literary criticism. She had a tremendous influence on public opinion and the purchasing decisions of librarians and parents throughout the early 1900s. Her annual Children’s Books Suggested as Holiday Gifts and Holiday Books for Boys and Girls lists were eagerly awaited every year she produced them. The amount of power held by Moore is in marked contrast to our own time - we have an abundance of review sources, critics, authorities, and publishers. It seems that most of the time Moore used her influence for the betterment of children’s literature and library services. I am on the hunt for a compilation of her book reviews entitled The Three Owls which originally appeared in a column of the same name published in the New York Herald Tribune. What treasures from the early 20th century will Moore introduce me to?

We found a great deal at Childrens Book Club and got 5 childrens books for only $2.