Remarkable in the sense that ALL the great stories to be found in the world of children’s books are living on their shelves. Ok, I will admit I am exaggerating when I say “all,” but I wanted to get your attention because you will find a significant amount of these great stories at this library.
Here’s the story of how we found this library, some notes about our first visit, a lot of photos of the amazing books we discovered on the shelves, and info for you on the even broader world of the COOL System of libraries (13 libraries where I suspect you’ll find similar quality collections).
An Unexpected Discovery
This library is in a town that is maybe a 15-minute drive from my mom’s home. But in 35 years of living in her town, no one in our family ever went to this particular library. In spite of being so close to us and in spite of our intense love for books. It just wasn’t a place we drove by on a normal basis and thus we never went.
Flash forward to present day. We relocated our family to Ohio recently so we could be closer to our family. The result is that now we drive to my mom’s house on a regular basis. And one of the places we pass on that trip is this library.
Being such a fan of books I was very curious about this library. I wanted to see inside. What books would be on their shelves? What books might they be selling at a book sale??
Finally, we got a chance to visit.
Wow!
When you write for the web it’s important to note that a sub headline like the single word “Wow!” isn’t what that oh-so-popular search engine likes. But I like it. Because it perfectly summarizes what happened when we walked in the doors of this library. Because it was a big surprise!
This library is NOT following the trend we’ve seen in the last ten years and especially from 2020 to 2025. That trend is the sad one that seems to be happening at many public libraries. It’s the trend where they discard the old children’s classics from their collections.
Nothing of the sort is occurring at this library! At this library you will find the old classics sharing the shelves with newly published children’s books.
Here are some of the classics children’s books that have fallen off the shelves of many libraries in recent years. All these books are available at Wornstaff Library in Ashley, Ohio (as of the date of this article). If you are seeking a list of classic children’s books that have withstood the test of time, these books are a great place to start.
- Books containing the Charlie Brown comic strips
- Mary Poppins and sequels by P.L. Travers
- The Lighthouse Mystery by Gertrude Chandler Warner
- The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss
- Farmer Boy, On the Banks of Plum Creek, and other Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder
- Black Beauty by Anna Sewell
- The Black Stallion and sequels by Walter Farley
- The Hardy Boys book series
- The Door in the Wall and other books by Marguerite de Angeli
- Adventures of Buster Bear’s Twins by Thorton W. Burgess
- A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Reading Tip: If you get one of these books for your kids, and you find they don’t read the book, here is why that is and what I recommend to do about it:
- The “why” kids don’t always read these books is that these stories are paced differently from what children today are used to. Many of the newly published books are paced in a specific way. It has made us sort of “soft” with regard to our reading muscle and leads to us not always giving books a chance. We’re out of practice with books that develop their stories in different ways.
- What I recommend is this – read the story aloud with your child. Be prepared for it to be slow going at first. You may even find it’s a challenge for you. I know because that has happened to me. But give it a solid chance and my guess is you will be rewarded. When I read these books aloud to children they are usually pretty bored for the first four or five chapters. And then all of a sudden they are hooked!
I rarely if ever see ANY of the books on the list above at other public libraries. Scroll to the bottom of this article to see my photos of the beautiful books on the shelves of this library.
Why are books being removed from the libraries? I have heard rumors of the reasons why. I have seen a few news stories that discuss the situation. I’ve talked with librarians about it. To be very honest I do not know specifically why libraries are pulling children’s classics from their shelves. And I am sure there are many different reasons, some of which come down to logistical concerns like funding and staffing. I am sad that some of the truly great stories are being removed. I feel for the children who may never have a chance to read those books.
The Questions I Ask Librarians About Classic Children’s Books
The usual experience I have been having the last five to ten years is that I visit a library, take stock of what is on the shelves in the children’s section, and notice the same group of children’s classic books missing from the collection. I do find it curious that it’s the same books missing from most libraries.
When I ask librarians about these books and if I can get the books from their library – they tell me “Oh yes, you can request that book online.” Which means that I can submit a request on their website to borrow the book from another library. The book might come from another library in their system or it may come from a library that is someplace else in the country. They also love to suggest that I could read the eBook version. All of this is good news – because at least I can get the book.
But I usually ask this follow up question. Because it’s a question I genuinely have. “What if the child or the parent doesn’t even know that book exists? How will they know it is a story they might love? How will they know to ask for it?” I am a little sad to say that most of them don’t have an answer for me. Many don’t even know of these stories.
And then there is another question that has popped into my head recently. Which is this one …
What is the Role of a Public Library?
Yes, that’s the question I’m asking myself. And I probably will ask this question at the libraries. (Because that’s how I am – I ask questions and I try very hard to ask them nicely and be open to whatever the response is that I get.)
“What is the role of the public library?”
My impression has always been that if I want to purchase a newly published book I can go to a bookstore to do that. Or I can go to a store that sells other things and also sells books. Or I can buy the book online from a place like Bookshop or Amazon or Barnes & Noble.
But what if I want to read a book that isn’t in print any more?
What if I’m looking for a specific edition that isn’t published any longer (especially one with beautiful color illustrations)?
I know that I can buy those books from used and rare book sellers.
But what if I don’t know those books exist? Where can I see them on the shelves?
I always thought of libraries as the place where I could see these books. In the past I could wander along the aisles, thumbing my way through hundreds of books, looking for the one that would catch my eye. Including lots and lots of books that were published quite some time ago. I saw libraries as the protectors and keepers of those books for us.
That just doesn’t seem to be the case any more. In a very small way I am happy when the libraries discard wonderful old books. Because I buy them and either put them into our private lending library or sell them at our store. But that’s a very small happiness because I am sad that the libraries have decided these book doesn’t have value any more. I should note that the books I buy at library book sales are not worn out or broken; many are in like-new condition. Most libraries I visit have plenty of shelf space. So it’s not about running out of room.
That last paragraph sounds a little critical of libraries. I’ll take a moment to say that I know there’s more to every story. I do know the philosophy at some libraries is to discard certain classic children’s books that they no longer value (even though these classics have enormous value in the opinion of a lot of their patrons). But I know that at other libraries the discarding could be due to other factors.
All of the above said …
What a joy it was to find a public library that is fulfilling the role I think is a core function of libraries. At Wornstaff Library in Ashley, Ohio you will find shelf after shelf after shelf after shelf of classic children’s books. It is an absolutely beautiful thing to see. I am SO excited for the families who can be members of THIS library.
Thank You Wornstaff Library!
Thank you to Wornstaff Library and the Friends of Wornstaff Library for keeping the full scope of children’s books on the shelves and available for kids and families to see and choose from, and ultimately check out and read at home.
To visit the Wornstaff Library in Ashley:
Check their website for the exact address and their hours of operation.
Ashley is in Central Ohio. It’s about an hour’s drive north from Columbus. The town, or village as they are often called in Ohio, is very small. The library is on the main road and it’s very easy to find.
https://www.wornstafflibrary.com
https://www.friendsofwornstaff.org
Go Beyond and Visit All the COOL Libraries
Wornstaff Library is one of thirteen libraries in a system called the COOL Consortium. I can’t vouch for the other libraries in the COOL Consortium System, but I strongly suspect you’ll find similar quality collections to what I saw at the Wornstaff Library.
COOL is comprised of 13 independent libraries working together and sharing resources to provide our patrons with a wider selection of materials. Library cards issued by any library can be used at the other COOL libraries.
Find the list of the COOL libraries and how to connect with them at the COOL Library System website – cool-cat-org.
Photos of All the Books We Saw
I take a lot of photos. Which means that the second I saw the Charlie Brown comic collections prominently featured on top of one of the stacks (lingo for library book shelves) I immediately snapped a pic. The funny thing is that picture was the tip of the iceberg. Each shelf I looked at had even more great stories. I was so excited and of course I had to take photos of everything I saw.
Kids Books That Are Also Funny For Adults