This book was breathtakingly beautiful. This gave me flashbacks to children books with beautiful black artwork that my parents would buy me.

Most find history dull and boring, even in the childrens books. This book was beautifully done and gave a little picture into what life was like back then. I had no idea of these libraries set back in the woods back then. An interesting part of history that is hidden away, yet shoudl be brought to the forefront. What really got me was mom gently helping her son through a teaching moment with his father. Who knew that you could find family moments anywhere?

This was an emotional read based on true events. It informs readers how people have to demonstrate compassion towards others who may not have the same skills as them. It also informs readers how education is viewed in different families (work came first before education). This book hit home for me. The artwork was wonderful. Highly recommend.

The Library in the Woods will surely become a valued and cherished literary accomplishment in the children's picture book world. Readers will love the folk art-style illustrations and the ability to immerse themselves into the world of this delightful main character as he emerges from a world living on a rural farm to living in a bustling city where he has the ability to have adventures with his friends every day. This children's book is a literary tribute to an iconic library, and it appears to have illuminated this library is splendid ways through the illustrations and detailed narrative.

The Library in the Woods will be a wonderful addition for any classroom library and in any library's children's department. Teachers will love reading the story aloud to classes filled with eager to learn children.

This book was wonderful. I think it'd be a great one to have in schools for sure. I like how it shows how a love of reading can bring people together whether they are able to read or not. Additionally, I appreciate the history given in the book; it states in the back that it takes from a real story lived by the author and I think that was interesting to learn about.

Oh my goodness, this book touched my heart strings! First, it was set in the year my mom was born, in a town a few hours from where I lived for 17 years (and where my husband was born and raised), and it was about one of my favorite places--the library!

In a time when segregation and Jim Crow kept the black community apart from so many resources, the community took care of its own. <3

This picture book uses captivating illustrations with a unique art styling (created by a Caldecott award winning illustrator) to share the story of a young farm boy whose family moves to the city in order to survive better. In the city, his friends share with him the wonder of the library in the woods, specifically run by a black librarian for the black community.

Junior's (the boy) wonder of the world that library holds stole my heart! Then he runs to share this new discovery with his parents---but what will happen when he learns that his own father, like many black people in the time, doesn't know how to read?

This story includes education about the difficulty of the time, the emphasis of the power of reading & books, and a showing of compassion and love within families.

A huge thanks to NetGalley and the author for sending me the free ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

.This book defies genre as it reads like narrative nonfiction, memoir and picture book. In addition to an under represented topic of segregation and library history, the illustrations create beautiful paintings on their own. The additional information and personal connection that the author shares to the fictional story definitely enhances the story and offers teachers, students, and librarians ways to discuss or research a further.

Thank you to Lerner Publishing Group, Carolrhoda Books and NetGalley for the e-ARC of this title to read and review. This is a gorgeous book about the power of reading and the discovery of libraries, set in the segregated south. The back matter about the author's own library was really wonderful for further, in-depth reading about the inspirations for the story and the realities of this time. I think readers of any age would enjoy this book and get a rich experience out of it, because that moment of discovering a library full of adventures and imagination is powerful to any age, but the historical themes, and geographical and racial elements would be important and received by older kids and adult readers.

The year is 1959, and in rural North Carolina, Junior and his family are forced to move to town after a storm devastates their farm. As Junior adjusts to the differences between country and city life, he discovers one great joy of his new home: a small library which provides books for his family and the other black residents in town. Junior quickly discovers the joy of reading and, in the books final and most touching scenes, reads aloud to his father who never had the opportunity to learn to read.

This is a masterful picture book, filled with tiny, rich details which really help sell the emotional core of the story. These details, like Junior adjusting to wearing shoes after moving to town, really ground the narrative and make it feel real--which makes Junior's discovery of his father's illiteracy and his conversation with his mother about it all the more affecting. It all smacks of true, lived experience.

I would recommend this book very broadly to families, children, and adults. I think there is something for everyone to take away from it.

When Junior and his family are forced to move during the segregation era, he has to readjust to life and people around him. At the urging of his new school friends, he's shocked to find a library that he, a young Black boy, can actually explore! An entirely new world is opened up to him. It doesn't take long before he realizes that although he has this opportunity to read and grow, it's something that his father never had.

This book is a beautiful showcase of so many things: the love and care of a father providing for his family, the reciprocal and unconditional love of a son for his father, the resilience and strength of Black folks against systemic oppression (particularly in the segregated South), and the unmistakable power of knowledge, education, and libraries.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. It's one that we would use to recommend for high-low readers, as it tells a lot about history while covering some mature topics. That's not me saying that this isn't for smaller children, because I think it's great, I just mean it's a fabulous example of a picture book being used to convey some themes that younger kiddos might not get.

Bold, expressive art brings depth and warmth to this powerful tale of literacy, community, and resistance. A must-read that honors the magic of books and the bravery of those who defend them.

The Library in the Woods is a beautiful story, set around 1959 during a time of horrible social injustice, told through the POV of a young African American boy as his family transitions from country to city living. The little boy notices many differences between his old home and new home, one being that people have books that they read for pleasure, not just for school. His new friends introduce him to the library in the woods, created by the African American community at a time when black individuals were not permitted in the public libraries, that contains more books than he has ever seen. He signs up for a library card and checks out his 3 first books - one for himself, one for his mother, and one for his father. This story touches on family sacrifice and support, importance of community, and discovering a love of reading for both young and old. It is also a beautifully illustrated, culturally diverse story. Overall a great read!

As a Little Free Library steward, advocate for libraries and book access, and mama to a biracial daughter, The Library in the Woods touched me and even brought me to tears.

Set in the late 1950s and told through the eyes of a young boy, it’s a beautiful, poignant reminder of how the Black community came together to create a space for learning and connection during a time of deep injustice. The idea of a log cabin library hidden in the woods — built when Black families were barred from public libraries — is heartbreaking and inspiring. The illustrations are gorgeous, and I loved the first-person narration from the little boy.

This is a wonderful book for families who value diverse stories and want to teach their kids about the power of community, resilience, and the joy of reading. I will absolutely pick this up for my daughter's bookshelf.