This book is a love story from a young girl to the library. I would call it historical fiction based on the illustrations which show clothing and cars from the 1960s or so and also card catalogs. The author's note mentions her experiences with segregation during her childhood, also adding to the timeframe. The illustrations are drawn with the same love that the writing shares. One image shows the girl with her eyes closed and a book in her lap by a bookshelf bathed in a shower of sparkling light. That one image captures for me the feeling that a trip to the library often brought for me at that age.

Alove letter to libraries.

A Black child, with hair in two puffballs tied with yellow ribbons, a blue dress with a Peter Pan collar, and black patent leather Mary Janes, helps Grandmother with the housework, then, at Grandmother’s suggestion, heads to the library. The child’s eagerness to go, with two books under an arm and one in their hand, suggests that this is a favorite destination. The books’ wordless covers emphasize their endless possibilities. The protagonist’s description of the library makes clear that they are always free to be themselves there—whether they feel happy or sad, whether they’re reading mysteries or recipes, and whether they feel “quick and smart” or “contained and cautious.” Robinson’s vibrant, carefully composed digital illustrations, with bright colors that invite readers in and textures and patterns in every image, effectively capture the protagonist’s passion for reading and appreciation for a space where they feel accepted regardless of disposition. In her author’s note, Giovanni states that she spent summers visiting her grandmother in Knoxville, Tennessee, where she went to the Carnegie Branch of the Lawson McGhee Library. She expresses gratitude for Mrs. Long, the librarian, who often traveled to the main library to get books that Giovanni could not find in their segregated branch. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A lushly illustrated homage to librarians who provide a welcome and a home away from home for all who enter. (Picture book. 4-7)

-Kirkus Review

A girl in an old-fashioned outfit (Peter Pan collar, mary janes) visits the library after helping her grandmother with chores. An author's note describes Giovanni's own childhood experience, and offers thanks to a librarian who would get books for her from the main library (when libraries were segregated).

https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/nikki-giovanni/a-library/ ( )