Dear Librarian

May 10, 2021
Sigwarth addresses her personal epistle to a specific librarian from her childhood in this debut with an introduction by radio host Ira Glass. When Lydia’s large family leaves Colorado to live in Iowa, they inhabit “a lot of different places,” staying with Lydia’s grandmother, aunt, and cousin until her father finds a job. While unhoused, the family pays daily visits to the library, where “there was so much to do and so much space to do it in.” There, Lydia finds “a special spot just for me”; establishes a regular routine that, “even though it wasn’t a house,” stands in for the normalcy she craves; and befriends an auburn-haired librarian who makes her “feel safe and happy”—and even inspires her own career choice. Galotta portrays the family as doll-like, with white skin and pink cheeks, and the library as a portal into another world: flora blooms around the reference desk, and a teal dragon and a light blue whale populate the pages. A gentle ode to the effect one person can have on another, and what a library can offer a community. An author’s note concludes. Ages 4–8.