The Librarian of Basra: A True Story from Iraq
by Jeanette Winter
from Harcourt Children's Books
--Alia Muhammad Baker
Alia Muhammad Baker is a librarian in Basra, Iraq. For fourteen years, her library has been a meeting place for those who love books. Until now. Now war has come, and Alia fears that the library--along with the thirty thousand books within it--will be destroyed forever.
In a war-stricken country where civilians--especially women--have little power, this true story about a librarian's struggle to save her community's priceless collection of books reminds us all how, throughout the world, the love of literature and the respect for knowledge know no boundaries.
Includes an author's note.
*From the New York Times, July 27, 2003
India (Eyewitness Books)
by Manini Chatterjee
from DK CHILDREN
Discover the people and traditions of one of the most dynamic countries in the world. Discover the rich diversity of the world's most populous democracy in this stunning guide. Witness the beauty of the Taj Mahal, learn how India gained its independence, discover the splendor of the Mughal dynasty, and much, much more.
Tasting the Sky: A Palestinian Childhood
by Ibtisam Barakat
from Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
But I do not want to do what Mother says . . . I want to remember.
In this groundbreaking memoir set in Ramallah during the aftermath of the 1967 Six-Day War, Ibtisam Barakat captures what it is like to be a child whose world is shattered by war. With candor and courage, she stitches together memories of her childhood: fear and confusion as bombs explode near her home and she is separated from her family; the harshness of
life as a Palestinian refugee; her unexpected joy when she discovers Alef, the first letter of the Arabic alphabet. This is the beginning of her passionate connection to words, and as language becomes her refuge, allowing her to piece together the fragments of her world, it becomes her true home.
Transcending the particulars of politics, this illuminating and timely book provides a telling glimpse into a little-known culture that has become an increasingly important part of the puzzle of world peace.
Finders Keepers? (India Unveiled Childrens Series, 1) (India Unveiled Childrens Series, 1)
by Robert A. Arnett
from Atman Press
Mom's Choice Award in the Children's Educational Picture Book category. Winner of Outstanding Books of the Year for the Independent Publisher Book Award and Winner of the most Inspirational to Youth Book Category Award. Benjamin Franklin Silver Award for Best Multicultural Book of the Year. Winner of The National Parenting Center Seal of Approval.
The charming true story set in India is about a boy who found the author's wallet and could not understand why he should be rewarded for returning to the author what was his. The concept of accepting a reward for doing the right thing made no sense to him!
The delightful, vividly colorful illustrations take children on a picturesque, fun-filled journey through the exotic land. Though the setting is in India, the message is timeless and universal. With such beautiful illustrations and story, Finders Keepers? is an excellent picture book for parents and educators seeking to introduce children to lands beyond their borders. A great character education and a multicultural book.
Alia's Mission: Saving the Books of Iraq
by Mark Alan Stamaty
from Knopf Books for Young Readers
The inspiring story of an Iraqi librarian's courageous fight to save books from the Basra Central Library before it was destroyed in the war.
It is 2003 and Alia Muhammad Baker, the chief librarian of the Central Library in Basra, Iraq, has grown worried given the increased likelihood of war in her country. Determined to preserve the irreplacable records of the culture and history of the land on which she lives from the destruction of the war, Alia undertakes a courageous and extremely dangerous task of spiriting away 30,000 books from the library to a safe place.
Told in dramatic graphic-novel panels by acclaimed cartoonist Mark Alan Stamaty, Alia's Mission celebrates the importance of books and the freedom to read, while examining the impact of war on a country and its people.
19 Varieties of Gazelle: Poems of the Middle East
by Naomi Shihab Nye
from HarperTeen
As she grieved over the "huge shadow [that] had been cast across the lives of so many innocent people and an ancient culture's pride" after September 11, 2001, poet and author Naomi Shihab Nye's natural response was to write, to grasp "onto details to stay afloat." Accordingly, Nye has gathered over four dozen of her own poems about the Middle East and about being an Arab American living in the United States. Devoted followers of the award-winning and beloved poet will recognize some of their favorites from her earlier collections (The Space Between Our Footsteps: Poems and Paintings from the Middle East, etc.), while absorbing themselves in her new haunting and evocative poems. Nye writes of figs and olives, fathers' blessings and grandmothers' hands that "recognize grapes, / and the damp shine of a goat's new skin." She writes of Palestinians, living and dead, of war, and of peace. Readers of all ages will be profoundly moved by the vitality and hope in these beautiful lines from Nye's heart. (Ages 9 to adult) --Emilie Coulter
"Tell me how to live so many lives at once ..."
Fowzi, who beats everyone at dominoes; Ibtisam, who wanted to be a doctor; Abu Mahmoud, who knows every eggplant and peach in his West Bank garden; mysterious Uncle Mohammed, who moved to the mountain; a girl in a red sweater dangling a book bag; children in velvet dresses who haunt the candy bowl at the party; Baba Kamalyari, age 71; Mr. Dajani and his swans; Sitti Khadra, who never lost her peace inside.
Maybe they have something to tell us.
Naomi Shihab Nye has been writing about being Arab-American, about Jerusalem, about the West Bank, about family all her life. These new and collected poems of the Middle East -- sixty in all -- appear together here for the first time.
Welcome to Israel!
by Lilly Rivlin
from Behrman House Publishing
Reading Welcome to Israel, children meet Israeli kids their own age, who show them Israel from Tiberias to Eilat and teach them about Israel's history, geography, politics, and culture. Children also see the day-to-day lives of their new Israeli friends, who write e-mails in Hebrew and go hiking in the footsteps of their biblical ancestors. Creative and interactive features of Welcome to Israel keep children fascinated by the wonders of Israel. These engaging elements include probing questions that stimulate critical thinking, map-reading activities that teach Israel's geography, key Hebrew words with English translation, and discussions of Jewish values. Full-color photos, maps, and whimsical illustrations make the excitement of Israel come alive. Biblical quotations deepen the book's historical and spiritual perspectives. Welcome to Israel inspires love of Israel!
Let's Visit Israel
by Judyth Saypol Groner
from Kar-Ben Publishing
The Flag of Childhood: Poems From the Middle East
from Aladdin
In this stirring anthology of sixty poems from the Middle East, honored anthologist Naomi Shihab Nye welcomes us to this lush, vivid world and beckons us to explore. Eloquent pieces from Palestine, Israel, Egypt, Iraq, and elsewhere open windows into the hearts and souls of people we usually meet only on the nightly news. What we see when we look through these windows is the love of family, friends, and for the Earth, the daily occurrences of life that touch us forever, the longing for a sense of place. What we learn is that beneath the veil of stereotypes, our human connections are stronger than our cultural differences.
A Brief History Of Afghanistan (Brief History)
by Shaista Wahab
from Facts on File
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