We asked Peter, the Library’s Public Information Officer, to share a few of his favorite books. He sent us the names of his favorite series to read when he was a kid:
- The Great Brain by J.D. Fitzgerald. “I read them all in fifth grade, which is a good age to learn about scheming and sometimes getting caught. The western historical context helped too.”
- Matthew Looney by Jerome Beatty and illustrated by Gahan Wilson. “I read these in second grade – wacky outer space hijinks. Tragically out of print.”

Peter also recommends the This is… series, by M. Sasek.
“A series of children’s books, each focusing on a specific city or country. Thankfully back in print [and at the Library]. I didn’t know about them as a kid, but these are the kinds of books that should be sold at the museum shops and tourist stops – along with View-master reels of those places.”