Morley Public Library

James Cross Giblin

Jim Giblin writes: "When I was growing up in Painesville in the 1940s, I always looked forward to taking part in Morley Library's summer reading contest. Each year the children's librarian, Esther Abbott, thought up a different theme that made the contest fun. One year the theme was a fishpond. When you entered the contest, Miss Abbott gave you a fishing pole (a small stick, really) with your name on it and a string attached. Miss Abbott put all the poles in a big metal tub, without water, that she set on the floor in the middle of the children's room. She added a construction paper fish to your string for every book you read during the summer, and the winner was the youngster who ended up with the most fish on his or her string.

"Another summer -- it must have been 1944 or 1945 -- the theme was feathered headdresses. Every book you read literally added another feather to your cap, or headband. I thought it was a little silly, especially when everyone who completed the contest had to put on his or her headdress for a group photo on the front steps of the library.

"Following the picture-taking, we all trooped down to Recreation Park, within walking distance of the library, for a picnic. In earlier years the picnic had been held amid the rocks of Thompson Ledges, but Miss Abbott decided to have it closer to home this year because of wartime gas rationing. Still, the hotdogs, potato salad, and toasted marshmallows tasted just as good in Recreation Park.

"After graduating from college, I left Painesville, moved to New York City, and built a career in children's book publishing. I worked for many years as an editor, then began to write children's books of my own and now have more than twenty to my credit. Among my recent titles are "The Mystery of the Mammoth Bones," "Charles A. Lindbergh: A Human Hero," and "Thomas Jefferson: A Picture Book Biography." Some of my books are on the shelves of Morley Library -- the library where I first discovered the magic of books as a child more than sixty years ago."

Selected books written by James Cross Giblin. (These may be found at Morley Library)

	"This well-documented book is packed full of information about a man, Charles Willson Peale, his work, and an exciting, expanding period in natural history." (Nonfiction. 8-12) -- Copyright Š1998, Kirkus Associates, LP.
	"Giblin wisely holds political material to a minimum--though he does mention Washington's ownership of slaves. Supplementary concluding material (``More About George Washington'') includes a chronology; the cherry tree myth; some of Washington's rules for behavior; and information about monuments and Mount Vernon. Index. (Biography. 5-8) -- Copyright Š1992, Kirkus Associates, LP.
	The New York Times Book Review, Tom Ferrell "This sympathetic and informed account (beautifully illustrated with contemporary photographs) is an excellent introduction to Lindbergh and also to the early years of the celebrity society in which we ive now." (Ages 10 and older)
	"This tale about King Arthur, a dwarf, the dwarf's giant son, and a mother unicorn was originally the concluding episode of an Arthurian romance written in France in the Middle Ages, Le Chevalier du Papegau ("The Knight of the Parrot"). "An authentic Arthurian romance inspired this foray into fiction for Giblin. . . . Ewart's vivid watercolors bring a sense of wonder to the tale." -- Copyright Š1996, Kirkus Associates, LP.
	"Giblin highlights Jefferson's principal accomplishments, indicates his personal tragedies, and hints at the contradictions inherent in his attitude toward slavery. While the brevity of the text may at times seem to reduce complexity to simplicity, in later years, young readers can build upon this approachable interpretation without feeling misinformed." Ind. -- Copyright Š 1995 The Horn Book, Inc. All rights reserved.
	"Suspense keeps the reader glued to this fine piece of nonfiction as the mystery of hieroglyphs is slowly unraveled. The author has done a masterful job of distilling information, citing the highlights, and fitting it all together." Copyright Š 1991 The Horn Book, Inc.
	"A simple, understated biography of the second wife of Woodrow Wilson gives a summation of her efforts to keep his presidency alive while he recovered from a stroke." -- Copyright Š 1992 The Horn Book, Inc. All rights reserved.
	"Retellings of unicorn lore are intermingled with factual accounts of the real-life creatures which likely generated them as well as thoughtful, readable discussions of the unicorn as an iconographic symbol, magical being, or source of power against evil. A well-researched, fluid narrative embellished with carefully selected illustrative material. Bib., ind. -- Copyright Š 1992 The Horn Book, Inc. All rights reserved.