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Librarian of Basra, The

Publication Information

Author: Winter, Jeanette

Illustrator: Winter, Jeanette

Title: Librarian of Basra, The

Date: 2005

Publisher: Harcourt, Inc.

City: Orlando, FL

ISBN, paperback: 0-15-205445-6

ISBN, hardback:

Recommended audience:

ABE/ABLE: Yes

ESOL: Yes

Family:

Young Adult:

Picture: Yes

General Information:

Book Type(s): true story, easy reading, nonfiction

HSE Descriptor(s):

Summary:

A true story of the librarian of Basra, Iraq, who saved the books in the town library during the current war. In an end note, the author brings the reader up-to-date on the librarian.

Teaching Ideas:

The book joins a small set of database books about libraries and the services and incentive they provide: Tomas and the Library Lady, A Library for Juana, The Library of Alexandria, The Library, and The Librarian Who Measured the Earth. Advanced readers might want to include Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451. Using this text set, readers can discuss and write about: 1) the purpose of libraries over time; 2)what attracts people to libraries; and 3) what a community stands to lose when a library is threatened. Readers will also want to list and discuss the many acts of bravery of Alia Muhammad Baker in Basra. Since Iraq is in the daily news, learners can find Basra on a map and clip newspaper accounts of events in Basra. Interested learners can access the New York Times archive online to read the original story of July 27, 2003 and compare it with Winter's version.

Teaching Strategies: