Annie Carroll Moore - Librarian, Book Reviewer, Lecturer, Writer 1918-1941

Librarian, Book Reviewer, Lecturer, Writer 1918-1941

In 1918 Moore delivered a series of lectures to a group of New York publishers and booksellers, promoting the need for quality writing for children. It was the norm of the day that children’s books were primarily vehicles for morality lessons, and Moore felt they should be more than this; she stressed the importance of providing access to well written books for the young.

In 1921 Moore gave a series of lectures and toured the libraries of England and France for the ALA. During this tour she met Walter de la Mare, L. Leslie Brooke, and Beatrix Potter. She is credited with introducing all three to the American public. She also wrote children’s books, the most famous entitled Nicholas, a Manhattan Christmas Story in which the main character was based on a puppet she used in her story times. She wrote of her own childhood in My Roads to Childhood.

During this period Moore began to regularly review children’s books, writing for The Bookman for six years. Moore eventually went on to become a highly influential children’s book reviewer. From 1924 to 1930 she was the children’s book reviewer for the New York Herald Tribune. In 1927 her column The Children’s Bookshop became a regular twice monthly feature. By 1936 her reviews were also appearing in The Horn Book Magazine. With a few notable exceptions (e.g. E.B. White’s Stuart Little and Charlotte’s Web), her stamp of approval or disapproval was often widely accepted as final judgment on a book. Her own confidence in her ability as book reviewer is evident in the stamp she kept in her desk; Not Recommended for Purchase by Expert. By all accounts she wasn’t afraid to use it.

Moore retired in 1941 at age 70. She remained active, writing and teaching for most of her remaining years. She died on 20 January 1961.