vireogirl's review
4.0
Lovely children’s picture book about the creator of the first bookmobile. A good example of what a woman can do, even when situations are against her.
abe25's review
adventurous
emotional
informative
fast-paced
5.0
Great children’s book about the first bookmobile and the woman behind it!
kellyjcm's review
Inspiring topic, and reading about the author's process was fascinating.
tschmitty's review
4.0
Ms. Titcomb let her passion and love of reading lead her to wonderful heights. She became a librarian whose determination led to the creation of the first bookmobile. She made sure that books could get to the hands of all those in the county that she served. This book is a lovely tribute to her with very cool old photos to boot.
abigailbat's review
5.0
Did you know that America's first bookmobile was invented by a lady librarian who just would not quit? Charged with serving the 500-square-mile Washington County in Maryland, librarian Mary Lemist Titcomb would stop at nothing to ensure that as many residents of her county were served as possible. This meant setting up book deposit boxes throughout the county, holding story hours in rural areas, and purchasing a horse-drawn wagon to travel hundreds of miles in the county each year, bringing books to people.
Of course as a librarian, this book spoke to me and I am so glad to learn about this librarian that I didn't know anything about. Tons of archival photos accompany a succinct text, illuminating the struggle of traveling those rugged roads and the accomplishment in serving so many people in the county.
Hand this to every outreach librarian you know and to kids who love libraries, especially those served by the Bookmobile!
Of course as a librarian, this book spoke to me and I am so glad to learn about this librarian that I didn't know anything about. Tons of archival photos accompany a succinct text, illuminating the struggle of traveling those rugged roads and the accomplishment in serving so many people in the county.
Hand this to every outreach librarian you know and to kids who love libraries, especially those served by the Bookmobile!
nerfherder86's review
5.0
Outstanding book! A biography of Mary Lemist Titcomb and the story of how she developed the "book wagon" in 1905 at the Washington County Free Library in Maryland, a very rural county around Hagerstown and into the Blue Ridge mountains, forming the first countywide bookmobile service. She was born in 1852, and went to an all girls' academy when that was a rare thing, for girls to be educated. She found her calling was librarianship, but it was before any formal schools for training existed, so she apprenticed in Concord Mass. as an unpaid assistant. I loved this anecdote: she applied to be a librarian at the Chicago World's Fair (the famous Columbian Exposition) in 1893, but she was turned down--by none other than Melvil Dewey himself! (He said she just wasn't well-known enough nationally, but wished her luck.) She went on to become the Vice President of ALA in 1914--take THAT, Mr. Dewey! Am I well-known enough now?? :-D She worked at WCFL for 30 years, and from her example, and her writing and lecturing about the bookmobile service, book wagons and mobiles soon flourished in other states. This book gives excellent references in the Notes section, of every quote, and also notes any discrepancies in accounts the author found during her research (for example, her year of birth, which she actually fudged so that she could continue working longer! Talk about loving your job!); there is an extensive bibliography; and the author interviewed two relatives of Titcomb. The book is very nicely put together, illustrated with photographs and postcards, and framed with vintage letters, library borrower cards, and stamps, etc. It was the winner of a 2020 Norman A. Sugarman Children's Biography Award Honor, deservedly so.