18 Retro Reviews of Children's Books from the New York Public Library

Last year, New York Public Library staffers discovered a lost treasure: Nearly 6400 old note cards containing 20th century librarians’ reviews of the children's books that filled the library’s stacks.
The review system was never intended for public consumption. Instead, it served as a tool for intra-office dialogue. "It was just a way for staff to say 'here's what I thought of this book,'” says Lynn Lobash, manager of Readers Services. “And then other staff could come and look at the book and see what their colleagues had thought and decide whether they want to use it in a story time, or for whatever it was.”
Archivists have since stashed the reviews away for safekeeping, but not before the library’s delightful Instagram feed shared some highlights. Here are our favorites.
1. Tales of the Unexpected, Roald Dahl
A photo posted by The New York Public Library (@nypl) on Jan 21, 2014 at 10:27am PST
2. On the Way Home, Laura Ingalls Wilder
A photo posted by The New York Public Library (@nypl) on Feb 11, 2014 at 5:11am PST
3. The Outsiders, S. E. Hinton
A photo posted by The New York Public Library (@nypl) on Feb 11, 2014 at 9:07am PST
4. Forever, Judy Blume
Two completely different takes on Judy Blume's "DIRTY TEENAGE NOVEL" Forever. #reviewsontues #nypl
A photo posted by The New York Public Library (@nypl) on Feb 25, 2014 at 4:52am PST
5. A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L'Engle
A photo posted by The New York Public Library (@nypl) on Apr 22, 2014 at 4:42am PDT
6. Jurassic Park, Michael Crichton
A photo posted by The New York Public Library (@nypl) on May 20, 2014 at 4:54am PDT
7. The Grox And the Eugene, David Perry
What's so confusing about boxes of Groxes?? #reviewsontues #nypl
A photo posted by The New York Public Library (@nypl) on May 28, 2014 at 5:11am PDT
8. Green Eggs and Ham, Dr. Seuss
A photo posted by The New York Public Library (@nypl) on Jun 10, 2014 at 12:41pm PDT
9. Fast Times At Ridgemont High, Cameron Crowe
A photo posted by The New York Public Library (@nypl) on Jun 17, 2014 at 8:55am PDT
10. Let's Go Logging, George Herman
A photo posted by The New York Public Library (@nypl) on Jul 29, 2014 at 7:19am PDT
A photo posted by The New York Public Library (@nypl) on Jul 29, 2014 at 7:21am PDT
11. Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, Rudyard Kipling
A photo posted by The New York Public Library (@nypl) on Aug 19, 2014 at 9:29am PDT
12. The Fifth Garfield Treasury, Jim Davis
Because, I mean, who can object to Garfield? #reviewsontues
A photo posted by The New York Public Library (@nypl) on Oct 7, 2014 at 5:46am PDT
13. Find Waldo Now, Martin Handforth
Tell the truth... How many times could you not find Waldo? #reviewsontues
A photo posted by The New York Public Library (@nypl) on Oct 7, 2014 at 10:45am PDT
14. The Snow Queen, Hans Christian Andersen. Two reviews of the book that became Frozen.
A photo posted by The New York Public Library (@nypl) on Dec 2, 2014 at 5:05am PST
15. Hunches in Bunches, Dr. Seuss
A photo posted by The New York Public Library (@nypl) on Dec 9, 2014 at 8:41am PST
16. Reading Skills, Marilyn Berry
A photo posted by The New York Public Library (@nypl) on Jan 6, 2015 at 5:44am PST
17. Inspector Gadget in Africa, Sandra Beris
A photo posted by The New York Public Library (@nypl) on Jan 6, 2015 at 8:36am PST
18. Sam and Violet's Birthday Book, Nicole Rubel
A photo posted by The New York Public Library (@nypl) on Feb 3, 2015 at 9:43am PST