The Librarian of Basra

December 20, 2004
Relaying the same story told in Alia's Mission
(reviewed below), Winter (September Roses
) deftly pares down for a picture-book audience the events surrounding Alia Muhammad Baker's courageous book rescue mission in Basra, Iraq, in spring 2003 (see Children's Books, Dec. 13). She portrays the Basra library as a place where the community comes together not only to read books but to "discuss matters of the world and matters of the spirit." In a typically lyrical passage, the author notes, "Alia worries that the fires of war will destroy the books, which are more precious to her than mountains of gold." As spare yet penetrating as the narrative, Winter's boldly hued, acrylic and pen illustrations depict the frantic book salvaging effort against a bright orange and burnt sienna backdrop of bomb- and gunfire-lit skies—and the subsequent, heartbreaking library fire. A clever cross-section image of Alia's house shows the library volumes (which, readers learn in a concluding note, amounted to an astounding 70 percent of the collection) piled on every available surface. Graphically and textually shifting tone from the real to the idyllic, subsequent pages reveal Baker in a serene, dove-filled setting, where she waits for the war to end and dreams of peace and a new library. Winter, ever aware of her audience, mentions Alia's stroke only in the endnote, keeping her story to specifics that youngest readers can appreciate. All ages. (Jan.)

FYI
: A portion of the proceeds from the book's sales will be donated to a fund administered by the ALA to help rebuild the collection of Basra's Central Library.

January 1, 2005
Gr 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 Times"on 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 2005 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2004
Gr. 3-5. On the heels of Winter's " September Roses "[BKL Ag 04]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.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2004, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2005
Winter's picture book describes Alia Muhammad Baker's attempt to save her library's collection when war comes to the Iraqi city of Basra in 2003. The illustrations represent the terrors of war realistically but not graphically. This tale provides a good way to talk about war and demonstrates the quiet heroism of fighting for something important without using violence.

(Copyright 2005 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

January 1, 2005
In this true story, Winter tells of a dedicated librarian, Alia Muhammad Baker, who realizes the danger her library's collection is in when war comes to the Iraqi city of Basra in 2003. Illustrations show planes flying over the city, huge orange flames billowing up from the buildings, and silhouettes of people running from tanks. Alia, depicted as a middle-aged woman with a blue headscarf, recruits friends and neighbors to smuggle books out of the library and hide them in a nearby restaurant for safekeeping; nine days later the library burns to the ground. In the final illustration, the librarian is shown with her arms crossed protectively over a stack of books (an author's note says Alia was able to save seventy percent of the collection), waiting for the war to end. Winter represents the terrors of war realistically but not graphically, giving young readers a sense of safety by boxing each picture in a border of soft blues and purples and other calm colors. This tale of a brave and determined woman provides a good way to talk about war and demonstrates the quiet heroism of fighting for something important without using violence.

(Copyright 2005 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)