Anne Carroll Moore was a pioneering children's librarian who shaped the profession of children's services in American public libraries. Devoting her career to children's librarianship, Moore touched every aspect of the field-writing, reviewing, lecturing and teaching, training staff, administering children's services at the New York Public Library, and consulting with publishers. Her insistence on quality literature for children stimulated the growth of American children's literature in the twentieth century.

Born and raised in Limerick, Maine, Moore was the only daughter of Luther Sanborn Moore and Sarah Barker Moore. She and her seven brothers lived on a farm named Alderwood in southwestern Maine, in sight of Mt. Washington. Moore's parents were clearly influential in developing her strong personality. Luther Moore was a farmer, lawyer, and politician who brought his daughter along as company in visits and read to her. Anne absorbed her mother's...