Meet Miss Pippi, the Librarian

Meet Miss Pippi, the Librarian, as she shares why she loves books and some of the books she loves!

I love to share books! Some of my favorite moments of being an assistant Children’s librarian is reader’s advisory. Reader’s advisory is the opportunity to share and suggest books to readers. I love it! Since I live in the Children’s Room, I read and recommend a wide range of authors and series from picture books to chapter book. Of course, I end up of reading stacks of Children’s Literature throughout the year!

When I get a moment to read for myself, I love to pick up and read inspirational fiction. I grew up reading Janette Oke and Grace Livingston Hill. I started with the books available at home, and then branched out to library books. After familiarizing myself with Christian authors available at the library, I stretched further and purchased my own copies of beloved stories as well as books not available at the library. Through the years, my personal library grew, but the first books I read always bring back fun memories.

My first Grace Livingston Hill book was Out of the Storm. It was an old book with no dust jacket or illustration printed on the cover. It was solid blue with black letters spelling out the title. Out of the Storm opened up the world of the 1920’s. Hill’s gentle storytelling style drew me in and captivated me. I gathered as many titles I could find after devouring this first title. Recently, Barbour Publishing began reprinting Hill’s books! I just finished April Gold from Barbour. I’m looking forward to rereading Hill’s classic stories as well as discovering new ones I haven’t enjoyed yet. I would recommend picking up one of her books. Hill wrote modern fiction, but with decades between her books and today, they’re historical treasures. It’s an opportunity to catch a glimpse of life in the early 1900’s.

Janette Oke’s Women of the West series was another beginning series for me. The books were standalones, but linked together under a common theme of women surviving the west in the 1800’s. I love the Westward expansion and the 1800’s is my favorite time period. I imagine these books probably played a role in the stories that I enjoy today. A newer standalone series that reminds me of Women of the West is the Land of Shining Water series by Tracie Peterson. Again, it’s the 1800’s, but each story features a different young lady located in Minnesota.

Moving on from Hill and Oke, I’ve devoured books by Michael Phillips, Judith Pella, June Masters Bacher, Lori Wick, Lauraine Snelling, Lori Copeland, Catherine Palmer, Cathy Marie Hake, Mary Connealy, Deanne Gist, Julie Lessman, Robin Lee Hatcher, and so many more!  It would be too difficult to select one author as my favorite. As soon as I think of one series or title, I remember another and the list gets longer and longer.

It’s amazing to see so many Christian authors today. When I began reading inspirational books, the selection was small and I read many stories over and over again. Now, it’s hard to keep up with all the wonderful books available! I thank the Lord for all these talented people who work to entertain, encourage, and share their faith through literature. It’s a blessing to be able to read books that offer more than just an entertain story. They offer stories of hope and faith.

Miss Pippi's real name is Cassie and she works in a library in the Midwest. If you enjoyed her article today, please leave a comment.