Andrew Carnegie and his family left Scotland when he was a boy and traveled to Pittsburgh where his aunts had settled. Carnegie worked many jobs until her established himself as a telegrapher and began to earn and save money, eventually amassing a fortune. Never forgetting the kindness of a former employer who opened his personal library on Saturdays, Carnegie began a campaign to establish free public libraries across the world, starting with his hometown in Scotland. This biography provides a little insight into Carnegie's early days before he amassed his fortune.

My son and I read this together and he found it interesting (he's 8), It was a good take on the subject matter, presented clearly and appropriate for the audience intended. I thought it was delightful and my son seemed interested while we were reading which is always a good sign.

It was a little dense in place with words that some adults don't even know, but it was a nice tribute to a man who did a lot of good.

Great story for kids about Carnegie. Definitely better suites to be read as a physical book though

I thought this story about Andrew Carnegie was very interesting. It gave a good amount of background information about Carnegie and how he came from very humble beginnings but worked hard and gave back to the community. It did leave out most of his dealings with the unions (which would be difficult to explain to little kids). It probably painted a more glowing portrait of Carnegie than necessary but it was still a good story.

One of my frustrations with our tiny local library system is that we can't get very many good picture books. For that reason I'm always thrilled when I can find a good picture book online to review; I always read them to my little boys. It would be better if we could have the physical book to read, but this is better than nothing! One of my recent finds was The Man Who Loved Libraries, the story of Andrew Carnegie.
Andrew Carnegie was born in Scotland. His father was a weaver, but it was getting to be impossible to make a living weaving at home, as people wanted to buy cloth from the big weaving mills. What should the family do? Move to America, of course! They found a home and work in Pittsburgh. They were still poor—but now there were opportunities to advance.
Within a relatively short time, Andrew became a rich man—and what did he do with his riches? He didn't hoard it for himself; he used a lot of it to build libraries around the world, even in New Zealand, so other people would have the chance to learn and improve their lives. I had heard of the Carnegie Libraries, as well as the Carnegie Institute in New York City, so it was very interesting to read the background.
I liked the pictures in this book. They are simple, somewhat stylized but fairly realistic, paintings. They really add to the story. This is a great picture book to share with children who enjoy true stories, and a good way to introduce the concept of public libraries and their purpose and origin.
I received a free ecopy of this book from NetGalley and chose to write a review.

I read this book with my kids and enjoyed it. It was educational and shared the value of doing for others. This is a book I would recommend getting for children. A quick read with acceptable illustrations.

I wasn't sure if my four-year-olds were old enough to be interested in this book but decided to give it a try, and they both really liked it. They like libraries, so they thought it was cool to read about someone responsible for building a lot of them. This was an engaging look at Carnegie, although it did gloss over controversy about his business practices, with only a brief mention at the end about strike-breaking and such.

I read an ARC via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This is a wonderful introduction to Andrew Carnegie. Simplistic illustrations and easy to understand text is perfect for young readers.

I loved this book. The illustrations are beautiful and the story is written in a way the children can easily understand. I believe this is a book that should be read to all children for many reasons. They should know that it was one mans passion that brought public libraries to life and that when you are fortunate enough to have a lot of money you should try and better the world around you. I also enjoyed the other historical facts in the back of the book that Carnegie contributed to.

I recommend this book to everyone.

I am not an expert on children's books but I enjoyed this book. The illustrations came through very well on My Nook which is unusual(I usually don't think of my Nook as being good for pictures)..

I realize that because it is a children's book it will present a rather simplistic view of Carnegie. However, I think the book could have better explained significant Carnegie's contributions were to the library system and how this helped the common person.

I really enjoyed this informative book about the life of Andrew Carnegie. I thought the pace of the story was well done -- it covered important information without getting bogged down in words, and the illustrations were nice too.

The narrative traces Carnegie's life from his poor beginnings in Scotland, to working his way up from factory worker to steel mogul in America, and then focuses on his charitable work building libraries all over the world.

At the end there were a couple pages of more detailed information, including the aside that Carnegie's relationship with his workers was "complicated," noting how he clashed with employees who were trying to unionize. Although this wasn't what the book was about, I appreciated this tidbit because it helped avoid putting Carnegie on too much of a pedestal -- though it was certainly inspiring to read about how he believed his riches were for giving away, and rather than just starting "charities," he truly wanted to empower people to help themselves.

I received a copy from NetGalley; this is my honest review.
First, let me just say that I didn't notice this was a children book. I liked the synopsis and the cover and I really love Andrew Carnegie's story. I even quoted him when I retired.
I read it with my Kindle and some pieces of information were repeated a few times, front and back, so I think it's like a book pushed into an ebook. The pictures looked good though, even in B/W. Easy to understand that this is a rags to riches story; such a wonderful story. I would have loved to see a picture of his first library, the one in his hometown. Any preteen and younger would appreciate this book. Don't miss out!

This brief biography of Andrew Carnegie covers big topics such as changes brought about by the industrial revolution, the plight of immigrants and the working poor, and the responsibility people have to make the best of their talents and help others--all while promoting the use and care of our nation's public libraries. Excellent title to share and think about with young readers!

Being a librarian I have a soft spot for Andrew Carnegie. I think this is a great introduction to him.

When I was growing up, the library was magical to me. (They still are). My local public library was a wonderfully built neo-classical blonde stone building full to bursting with books which could take me anywhere and anywhen and I had a card of my own, and by gosh I knew how to use it! And that smell... it still transports me to a seriously happy place.

The point is, my first, beloved, public library was a Carnegie library, built with funds from the Carnegie foundation. I've always been fascinated by the concept of noblesse oblige which seemed to be expected of the wealthy and powerful in all but the most modern times. The concept is sadly outdated now (with a few exceptions). Andrew Carnegie was the quintessential bootstrap success story, running messages, working his way up through the ranks, investing and becoming hugely wealthy and influential. He gave quite a lot of that wealth back to communities all over the world by endowing over 3,000 libraries along with many other charitable contributions.

This book, by Owlkids Books , is a beautifully illustrated short biography aimed at young readers. The writing style is unforced and not patronizing. The art is lovely and simple and compliments the story very well. The author also doesn't shy away from writing about the inherent dichotomy of funding open and free access to libraries and learning and supporting communities on the one hand, and his anti-worker, profit driven, union breaking activities on the other hand. I enjoyed reading this small book very much and recommend it unreservedly. Delightful book, well written.

I still remember the thousands of hours I spent in 'my' beloved hometown library. I wonder if the librarians knew how much they shaped me and comforted and inspired me? I never really got to tell them, but I thank librarians and teachers often to this day, and it really started with the people in this library.

This is a great introduction to Carnegie's life. The focus is on his gift of libraries, but I appreciate that it includes the story of his family's immigration and his philanthropy, while at least mentioning his complicated legacy with workers. Given the recommended age for readers of this book, that is probably enough. I think this can be a great classroom supplement as students study immigration and the Gilded Age, and it gives teachers the opportunity to introduce the importance of workers' rights in a complex era.

Carnegie is a fascinating figure. A prime example of the American spirit: rising from nothing to great wealth through hard work and self improvement. I liked the emphasis on education and the value of reading, of course. But I also liked that it doesn't whitewash. Larsen states that some of Carnegie's business practices were questionable, his treatment of employees not always fair. Many children's biographies, especially picture book length, talk only about best moments. I appreciated this level of honesty.

Larsen gives young readers a very brief introduction to the rags to riches story that was Andrew Carnegie. The book briefly discusses the fact that he made his fortune because of the railroads and his knowledge to invest in companies that produced oil, iron, and steel. More importantly to this story, Carnegie never forgot the kindness of Colonel Anderson who had opened his library to him, so with his riches, Carnegie built the first public library in the small Scottish village where he was born. Then he continued to build libraries around the world.

Many things can be said about Andrew Carnegie. His was a true rags to riches story, but his dealings with his employees weren't always fabulous. The Carnegie Steel Company had some notorious strikes that sullied his name a bit in the history books. That said, he was quite the philanthropist. As the book says, "He believed that riches are for sharing. He believed in helping others to help themselves."

This is a great way to engage young minds on history and to promote the notion that giving back to your community is essential. Larsen makes it easy for children to understand the good that Carnegie did by showcasing a library filled with children, something that many children can relate to.

We often forget that until men like Andrew Carnegie made their vast fortunes, there were fewer opportunities to equalize among classes. He created the Carnegie Corporation of New York in 1911 “to promote the advancement and diffusion of knowledge and understanding,” and they are still doing important work today.

I love picture book biographies. I loved to learn about Andrew Carnegie. I loved the illustrations. We need more Carnegies in the world.