Who is Mrs. Phelps from Matilda and what is their importance?

Mrs. Phelps is the local librarian. She is the first person in the world who notices Matilda's unusual abilities, but she is wise enough to avoid drawing attention to them. Instead, she calmly shows Matilda the section of children's books, and then creates a reading list of classics for her. Matilda's family may not encourage her development, but meeting Mrs. Phelps at a young age did much to shape her future.