The Efficient, Inventive (Often Annoying) Melvil Dewey

June 1, 2020
Grades 2-5 Opening with anecdotes about arranging his mother's kitchen cupboard and trekking 10 miles to buy a dictionary as a boy, this picture-book biography of Melvil Dewey quickly establishes his love for efficiency. Chronological snapshots from his life express his desire to use order to help others, from rescuing books from a burning school to, most notably, developing a consistent numbering system for organizing library books, to forming a library school and library associations. While some applauded his determination, others found Dewey manipulative and controlling, such as when he filled his library school with women because they would work for less money than men. Bold, capitalized words in the text and digital, caricatured illustrations emphasize both sides of his personality. An author's note also considers the duality of Dewey's legacy. Other interesting back matter includes a time line, a photo from his library school class, an explanation of the Dewey Decimal Classification system, and Dewey's other reform passions, such as simplified spellings (which young readers will recognize in text messages). Well organized and thought-provoking, like Dewey himself.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)

August 10, 2020
O’Neill’s breezy biography caroms through Melvil Dewey’s quirks of efficiency—simplifying the spelling of his name, lecturing at “180 words per minute”—and achievements—advocating for public libraries, establishing the Dewey Decimal System, founding a school for librarians at Columbia, and educating women against the trustees’ will, among other things. But the presentation of the efficiency-minded Dewey as an “appealing or annoying” person buries key information: an author’s note reveals that his racism, anti-Semitism, and harassment of women were significant enough to impact his career in the early 1900s, and relegating this to a footnote sours the charm of O’Neill’s narration. Fotheringham’s crisp pictures, however, capture Dewey’s whirlwind energy, showing him on the move and transformed into a speeding train. Back matter includes a timeline, a breakdown of the Dewey Decimal System, and information on the figure’s other reforms. Ages 7–10.

September 1, 2020
A panegyric for modern library science's most renowned and despicable founder. Leaving all reference to Dewey's long history of sexual harassment and open racism and anti-Semitism confined to two sentences in the small-type afterword, O'Neill presents him as a man on a mission--obsessed with efficiency, determined "to make the biggest difference in the world in the least amount of time," and fired up with the notion that success for this country's immigrants hinged on free public libraries that were professionally staffed (by women, because they were capable but, wink wink, cheaper than men) and filled with materials that could actually be found. In a staccato narrative replete with boldface words in ALL-CAPS and exclamation points ("Hardworking! Determined! Visionary!" "Controlling! Demanding! Manipulative!"), the author tallies many of his achievements, from the Dewey Decimal System (given only quick mention here) and the first library school to professional associations and specialized library furniture. She also tacks on a complimentary quote from him about women...as if that would somehow make his behavior excusable. Fotheringham captures his manic sense of purpose by twice depicting a locomotive smashing through books and points to his actions' common result by surrounding Dewey elsewhere with much smaller, uniformly White colleagues and contemporaries looking, mostly, bemused or outright peeved. "A pretty good legacy," the author concludes, "don't you think?" "Checkered" might be a better description. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11-by-17-inch double-page spreads viewed at 75% of actual size.) As disingenuous a profile as ever was. (timeline, source list, photos) (Picture book/biography. 7-10)

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October 1, 2020

Gr 2-5-Melvil Dewey, the white American librarian credited with creating the Dewey Decimal Classification, is depicted as equal parts brilliant and obnoxious. The narrative begins with Dewey as a child, obsessively organizing his mother's pantry and keeping records of his height and weight. Preoccupied with books, learning, and systems of organizations, young Dewey wanted to leave his mark on the world. After observing the rising number of immigrants to the United States, he concluded that books can help people educate themselves, but they must find the right books. He resolved to work on a method to make libraries consistent in their organization and eventually invented the Dewey Decimal System. He decided to create a school to train librarians at Columbia College (now University), where he worked as the chief librarian and helped start the American Library Association. Despite the legacy and information organization system he left behind, O'Neill makes it clear that Dewey was not an easy person to be around. Obsessive and detail-oriented to a fault, he moved forward like a freight train of ideas, with little consideration of how his ideas might impact those around him. The breathless, run-on quality of O'Neill's prose, combined with Fotheringham's energetic digital illustrations, evoke a well-rounded portrait of a complicated man. An author's note details the impact of Dewey's mistreatment of women and how his racist, anti-Semitic views affected his career and reputation later in life. A time line, additional facts, photographs, and a source list are also appended. VERDICT This refreshingly honest title is recommended for collections where picture book biographies are in demand.-Kristy Pasquariello, Westwood P.L., MA

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