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nerfherder86's review against another edition
5.0
I finally found a copy of this book to read, I've been meaning to for years! The Pack Horse Librarians is a fascinating topic that I find really cool. During the Great Depression, these librarians rode horses and mules to deliver books, newspapers and magazines--as well as handmade scrapbooks containing recipes and home remedies and articles of interest to hardy mountain folk--to their Appalachian neighbors in hard-to-reach hollers and on mountainsides in Kentucky. I was surprised to learn that they didn't have very many books to share, so that was why they took to making their own, as well as soliciting donations of used books from everyone they could find, the PTA and church groups, etc. This children's nonfiction book has lots of nice big black and white photographs of the women at work, fording creeks, even using rowboats at some points, reading to their patrons who were unable to read themselves, and sorting books in the library waystations. One chapter is written as a story of the typical day in the life of a Book Woman. The program was a big success in spreading literacy and companionship, so much so that some parents complained to librarians that their kids wouldn't do their chores any more because all they wanted to do was sit and read! (I always love to hear things like that!) The book ends with a chapter on Kentucky Congressman Carl D. Perkins, who sponsored the Library Services Act in 1956 to provide the first federal funding for library services. It paid for building new libraries, creating bookmobiles, hiring new staff, and so forth. He had taught in a Kentucky school serviced by a pack horse librarian, so that may have influenced him early on to appreciate the value of library services to those who need them most. Nice little reference book on a cool topic.
bookhound36's review
3.0
Fascinating. I loved the whole idea...what an ontaking of the women of those days! Not to mention a major dedication and love for books.
zelma's review
4.0
This is a juvenile books I read in about a half hour. A librarian recommended it to me and I'm thrilled he did. I've been trying to learn more about recent American history and this was a fascinating snapshot of a little-known New Deal program. I loved the idea of dedicated librarians delivering books via horseback and pack mule to their rural neighbors. The photobacks are fantastic as well.
kikiandarrowsfishshelf's review against another edition
4.0
This book is geared towards children and young adults. It does not, however, talk down to them and can be easily read by adults.
Appelt and Schmitzer shed light on a little known part of the New Deal. In Kentucky, women were hired to transport books by horseback to out of the way places. It's a very interesting book and looks at what the work entitled as well as the influence it had in the future.
If you are are interested in libraries or horses, this is a good book.
Appelt and Schmitzer shed light on a little known part of the New Deal. In Kentucky, women were hired to transport books by horseback to out of the way places. It's a very interesting book and looks at what the work entitled as well as the influence it had in the future.
If you are are interested in libraries or horses, this is a good book.
tpixie's review against another edition
5.0
A great companion read with The Bookwoman of Troublesome Creek & The Giver of Stars
It’s a YA biography, but great for adults as well.
It’s a YA biography, but great for adults as well.
fleeta_mullins_reads's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent children's book about the pack horse librarians and the time period. Now I need to find more information, other books! What a cool part of history.
kathleenitpdx's review
4.0
This is a delightful children's history of the WPA rural library project that in Kentucky was conducted on horseback. The authors definitely give you the feeling for the extreme poverty and isolation that prevailed in the eastern Kentucky mountains during the Depression. The book tells how the project was organized and how a number of obstacles were overcome (including a lack of funding for materials) and the response.
The book has many wonderful photos.
The book has many wonderful photos.
luann's review
5.0
I've wanted to read this ever since I read [b:That Book Woman|3002254|That Book Woman|Heather Henson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348795952s/3002254.jpg|3032748], so I was happy to come across it on the shelves at my new library. What a great book! The text is straightforward and simply written with wonderful photographs spread throughout.
The pack horse librarians of Kentucky were a hardy group of women! I wonder what they would think about the problems libraries are facing now? Although seeing the hardships they faced really helps to put some perspective for me on the tough times we face today. I don't have the budget I would like for new books, but I can check out multiple books to every student and still have full shelves. And I don't have to ride a horse through freezing rain to get those books to my patrons. Every librarian or fan of libraries should read this book!
The pack horse librarians of Kentucky were a hardy group of women! I wonder what they would think about the problems libraries are facing now? Although seeing the hardships they faced really helps to put some perspective for me on the tough times we face today. I don't have the budget I would like for new books, but I can check out multiple books to every student and still have full shelves. And I don't have to ride a horse through freezing rain to get those books to my patrons. Every librarian or fan of libraries should read this book!
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