by Jeanette Winter
4 stars
The powerful story of Alia Muhammad Baker, the brave librarian who save 70% of her library collection during the Iraq War.
The book focuses on Baker’s efforts to move the books to safe locations as the war nears Basra. It ends with a message of hope amid the chaos.
The narration is simple, making the story easy to follow for young readers.
The artwork shows the destruction and chaos of war. While there are tanks shooting and fires blazing, the illustrations do not depict the violence against people, focusing instead on their fear and building destruction. These images are balanced out by Baker’s hard work saving the library and her dreams for peace and building a new library.
A great showcase of the dedication of librarians around the world and the power of a community working together. I was happy to learn that the library was rebuilt in 2004 with Baker as the chief librarian.