The Library Bus - Hardcover

Rahman, Bahram

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1772781010 ISBN 13: 9781772781014

Publisher: Pajama Press, 2020

Synopsis

Author Bahram Rahman grew up in Afghanistan during years of civil war and the restrictive Taliban regime of 1996-2001. He wrote The Library Bus to tell new generations about the struggles of women who, like his own sister, were forbidden to learn.

It is still dark in Kabul, Afghanistan when the library bus rumbles out of the city. There are no bus seats—instead there are chairs and tables and shelves of books. And there are no passengers—instead there is Pari, who is nervously starting her first day as Mama’s library helper. Pari stands tall to hand out notebooks and pencils at the villages and the refugee camp, but she feels intimidated. The girls they visit are learning to write English from Mama. Pari can’t even read or write in Farsi yet. But next year she will go to school and learn all there is to know. And she is so lucky. Not long ago, Mama tells her, girls were not allowed to read at all.

Award-winning illustrator Gabrielle Grimard’s pensive and captivating art transports the reader to Afghanistan in the time after the Taliban’s first regime. Her rich landscapes and compelling characters celebrate literacy, ingenuity, and the strength of women and girls demanding a future for themselves.

About this title

About the Authors

Bahram Rahman was born in Kabul, Afghanistan, and grew up during the civil war and the Taliban regime. He earned a medical degree at Kabul Medical University and a master’s degree in public policy at the University of Erfurt, Germany, while also working as an activist in Afghanistan in the areas of gender equality and youth political participation. Bahram came to Canada as a refugee in 2012, and today he is a senior policy advisor at the Ministry of Health in Ontario. His first picture book, Governor General’s Literary Award finalist The Library Bus, was praised by the New York Times for documenting the barriers to education experienced by girls in war-torn countries and their resilience and ingenuity in overcoming them. His Fall 2021 picture book A Sky-Blue Bench has received a starred review from Kirkus Reviews, which calls it “a timely, eye-opening portrait of resilience, community, and hope.”

Gabrielle Grimard transformed her love of design into a career in illustration over the course of her studies at Concordia University and the University of Quebec. In 2018, Gabrielle’s picture book Stolen Words won the Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Award and was a finalist for the TD Canadian Children’s Book Award. Not My Girl was a USBBY Outstanding International Book. Her creativity has been applied to children’s publishing, advertising, and educational contexts.

Reviews

PreS-Gr 1—Villages and refugee camps in Kabul are visited by the area's only library bus in this picture book that celebrates the continued fight of Afghani women for education. Pari joins her mother on her rounds in a school bus that doesn't have bus seats, but tables and shelves, to bring books and school supplies to the girls she teaches English. Mama welcomes the excited girls and leads them through the ABCs and counting to 10. The girls browse the shelves looking for new books to read as Pari hands out new pencils. Grimard uses her soft watercolor palette to contrast the tans, beiges, and browns of the desert with brightly colored chadors surrounding the girls' smiling faces and long, dark hair. Mama tells Pari how her grandfather, who is illustrated with head covering, a great white beard, and friendly face, taught her to read hidden in their basement. Mama wants Pari to "[S]tudy hard. Never stop learning. Then you will be free." When Mama asks Pari "how does learning make you feel," the young girl throws her hands up, smiles and yells "FREE!" An author's note follows, explaining refugee camps, growing up under the Taliban, and the author's personal admiration of female teachers in their pursuit of an education. VERDICT The conversational text is great for one-on-one sharing, but this will also come in handy at story times, for a celebration of reading, and for a glimpse of Afghani culture.—Kristine M. Casper, Huntington P.L., NY

Edition details

• Publisher: Pajama Press
• Publication date: 2020
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1772781010
• ISBN 13: 9781772781014
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Grimard Gabrielle
• Number of pages: 32