The Librarian of Basra: A True Story from Iraq (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "Aria Muhammad Baker is the librarian of Basra, a port city in the sand-swept country of Iraq..." (more)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Starred Review. Grade 2-4 - When war seemed imminent, Alia Muhammad Baker, chief librarian of Basra's Central Library, was determined to protect the library's holdings. In spite of the government's refusal to help, she moved the books into a nearby restaurant only nine days before the library burned to the ground. When the fighting moved on, this courageous woman transferred the 30,000 volumes to her and her friends' homes to await peace and the rebuilding of a new library. In telling this story, first reported in the New York Timeson July 27, 2003, by Shaila K. Dewan, Winter artfully achieves a fine balance between honestly describing the casualties of war and not making the story too frightening for young children. The text is spare and matter-of-fact. It is in the illustrations, executed in acrylic and ink in her signature style, that Winter suggests the impending horror. The artist uses color to evoke mood, moving from a yellow sky to orange, to deep maroon during the bombing, and then blues and pinks with doves flying aloft as the librarian hopes for a brighter future. Palm trees, architecture, dress, and Arabic writing on the flag convey a sense of place and culture. Although the invading country is never mentioned, this is an important story that puts a human face on the victims of war and demonstrates that a love of books and learning is a value that unites people everywhere. - Marianne Saccardi, Norwalk Community College, CT
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 3-5. On the heels of Winter's September Roses [BKL Ag 04]^B the author-illustrator isolates another true story of everyday heroism against a tragic backdrop. Books "are more precious than mountains of gold" to Basra librarian Alia Muhammad Baker. When "the beast of war" looms on the horizon, she and willing friends remove more than 30,000 volumes from the library and store them in their homes, preventing the collection's destruction when a bomb hits the building. As appropriate for her audience, Winter's bright, folk-art style does much to mute the horrific realities of war. The corresponding abstraction in the text, however, may give many readers pause. While an endnote explains that the "invasion of Iraq reached Basra on April 6, 2003," the nature of the crisis rocking Baker's homeland is left vague, and the U.S.'s role in the depicted events is never mentioned. At the same time, certain images--among them, silhouetted figures in robes fleeing from ominous tanks and jets--carry a pointed commentary that will require sensitivity when presenting this to children of deployed parents. Still, the librarian's quiet bravery serves as a point of entry into a freighted topic, and young readers will be glad to learn that a portion of the book's sales will go toward helping rebuild Basra's library. Jennifer Mattson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books (January 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152054456
• ISBN-13: 978-0152054458
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #76,161 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Beautiful Book, February 2, 2005

By	Eileen Walker "Book loving Granny" (Columbia, MD USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I recently asked my seven year old granddaughter what her favorite school subject was and she immediately said, "Library, because there are so many books there and I love to read." A few days later I read the review of "The Librarian of Basra" in the Washington Post and decided this was the perfect book for her. I just read it myself today and can't wait to share it with Maria. I am also going to order a copy for her school library because I think it sends a double message - the importance of books in our lives and the terrible effects of war on everyone. Jeanette Winter's illustrations are beautiful. I would truly recommend this book to elementary school children.

41 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Practical bibliophilia, February 24, 2005

By	E. R. Bird "Ramseelbird" (Manhattan, NY) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Writing current picture books about the war in Iraq is difficult for a number of reasons. First of all, people tend to shy away from writing picture books that have strong political messages in them. And it is clear that any view of American involvement in Iraq is going to contain a slant one way or another. Second, picture books are supposed to inspire and instruct. How inspirational is it to look at the rising death toll and innocent lives taken during the course of this most peculiar of wars? So it's little wonder that when several children's authors heard the story of Alia Muhammad Baker they felt moved to write her story out for children everywhere to hear. One of the best of these is Jeanette Winter's, "The Librarian of Basra". Though no book about Iraq is completely bereft of a political view of what we did, this story speaks beyond the immediate problems and looks to the future in a truly moving way. It stands as perhaps one of the best ways to instruct little children about the war and its aftermath.

As librarians go, Alia Muhammad Baker is a inspiration to her brethren. When people started predicting the impending war in Basra, Alia was certain that the books would be destroyed. These aren't just your shabby paperbacks or romance novels either. Alia's collection was privy to owning a biography of Muhammad that was 700 years old, amongst its other treasures. When pleas with the authorities to move the books yielded nothing, Alia went out and rescued the books herself. She took them home, recruited friends and neighbors to help her remove them from the library, and hid them in her friend Anis Muhammad's restaurant. Then, when the worst of the initial war was over, she transferred them into the homes of different people. In the last pages the book notes that as the continuing skirmishes plague the landscape, "Alia waits". She hopes for peace and a beautiful new library but until that happens she will keep her books safe and sound, wherever they may be.

I'm a political beast by nature. If I get the inkling that a picture is simplifying an issue to the point of banality (or idiocy) then I get upset. I never got upset with "The Librarian of Basra". Winter treats her subject with respect, dignity, and an even hand. She gives us person who's life goal is understandable to kindergartner and senior citizen alike. Alia was a rescuer of books. A librarian who went beyond and above the call of duty. If that isn't an example of heroism, what is? It is clear from the book, also, that the war that plunged Alia into this trouble in the first place was not exactly necessary. Oh, it never says this in so many words. But kids who have somehow remained unaware of the cause behind the war may be confused as to why it suddenly bursts out of a clear blue sky the way it does. Adults may have difficulty coming up with any answers, too.

How well "The Librarian of Basra" will age is up for speculation. The book ends with the fighting in Iraq continuing during American occupation. How long that'll last is something few pundits agree on. In any case, the tale of one woman's courage in the face of an inevitable war is stirring and heartening. As a librarian myself, I have to admit I've a fondness for it on a personal level that may skew my otherwise faultless sense of what makes a book bad or good. But it's important to remember that this book is a parable and, due to that format, will remain beloved long after Iraq reaches its final destiny. For the sake of Alia, let us hope it is soon.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Educators Recommend, April 20, 2005

By	Education Oasis "Education Oasis" (USA) - See all my reviews

"Alia Muhammad Baker is the librarian of Basra, a port city in the sand-swept country of Iraq." So begins this moving tale of one librarian's attempts to save the beloved books in her library as war threatens.

When the governor of Basra refuses her request to move the books to a safe place, "Alia takes matters into her own hands." When the city is "lit with a firestorm of bombs and gunfire," Alia, with the help of her friends, manages to transfer thousands of books-some of them irreplaceable-to a nearby restaurant. Nine days later, the library burns to the ground.

As the war moves inland and away, Alia is able to move the books once again-this time to her home and homes of friends. One double-page spread shows the inside of Alia's house: Books are everywhere: in cupboards; under the bed; stacked on stools. Until a new library can be built, "the books are safe-safe with the librarian of Basra."

The story, a true one, was inspired by an article about the librarian's efforts which appeared in the New York Times in 2003. Jeanette Winter does an outstanding job. The tale is simply, yet powerfully told-at once both haunting and hopeful. The bold, colorful, acrylic and pen illustrations adroitly and accurately portray the people and place.

An author's note is appended which informs us that not long after the library burned, "Alia suffered a stroke and had heart surgery. But she is healing, and despite all, she is determined to see that the library is rebuilt."

Classroom Uses: We took this book into a 6 th-grade geography classroom that was studying the Middle East. The students had previously researched and discussed the restricted roles of women in some countries in the region. We read the book aloud. The students enjoyed the story and were clearly moved by it. They asked many questions. Several commented on the fact that Alia chose to stand up for something she believed in even though it was dangerous. As one student noted, "You don't have to be powerful to do powerful things." ( Ahh, the elusive, perfect "teachable moment.") If you are looking for quality children's literature that will generate thoughtful discussion, this is it.

Highly recommended. District-wide purchase encouraged.