The Library in the Woods
After a storm devastates the farm his parents have been renting, Junior moves with his family to Roxboro, North Carolina. The year is 1959, and the nine-year-old boy has to navigate the realities of the segregated South while adjusting to life in town. Instead of sharecropping, his father works at the lumber mill, and his mother takes in laundry from the white people in town. Junior meets new friends who have a TV—and their own books! These new friends offer to take Junior to the library, and he’s surprised to discover that in a clearing in the forest, there’s a log cabin with a sign over the door: The Negro Library.
The library in the woods feels magical, giving Junior a sense of possibility and community. The books he checks out also help him uncover a secret he never knew about his father.
This fictional account is based on a real-life library author Calvin Alexander Ramsey frequented as a child. Ramsey’s heartfelt text, accompanied by stunning illustrations from award-winning artist R. Gregory Christie, celebrates family, libraries, and the resourcefulness of the Black community.
| Format | Your Price | Add |
|---|---|---|
|
978-1-5415-9912-3
On pre-order until 05/06/2025
|
$14.99 | |
|
979-8-7656-1183-8
On pre-order until 05/06/2025
|
$24.90 |
| Interest Level | Grade 2 - Grade 5 |
|---|---|
| Reading Level | Grade 3 |
| Genre | Picture Books |
| Category | Diverse Books: #OwnVoices, Diverse Books: Race & Ethnicity, Diverse Books: Social Class, Diverse Books: Social Justice, Diversity, SEL: C Social Awareness, Social Emotional Learning |
| Copyright | 2025 |
| Publisher | Lerner Publishing Group |
| Imprint | Carolrhoda Books ® |
| Language | English |
| Number of Pages | 32 |
| Publication Date | 2025-05-06 |
Author: Calvin Alexander Ramsey
Calvin Alexander Ramsey is an Atlanta-based playwright, photographer, folk art painter, and children’s book author. His plays have been performed across the United States and his picture books have won numerous awards including an ALA Notable Children’s Book, a Jane Addams Children’s Book Award Honor, and a Children’s Book Committee at Bank Street College Best Children’s Book of the Year. He is the father of three children, all of whom are writers.
Illustrator: R. Gregory Christie
R. Gregory Christie’s illustrations have earned him many awards, including a Caldecott Honor, many Coretta Scott King Honors, and multiple spots on the New York Times’ annual Best Illustrated Children’s Books lists. He has been a guest speaker at conferences and libraries and teaches after school art programs all over the world. He lives in Georgia.