I love libraries. And I love nonfiction picture books.

So I made a list of my favorite library-themed nonfiction picture books. You can find it here. Thee are true books about libraries, librarians, and library users.

So, what about these books will make kids love libraries?

1. They explain what kids encounter in the library. Alexis O’Neill’s wonderful biography of Melvil Dewey describes how libraries came to be organized as they are.
2. They show that libraries are created by people. Schomburg and Digging for Words introduce us to library visionaries from different times and different places. But both are heroes!
3. They make us feel how valuable libraries are. Hands around the Library tells the remarkable story of a city saving its library from the ravages of war. Dreamers tells the more personal story of how a library changed one person’s life.