The Camel Library: A True Story from Pakistan by Marzieh Abbas, illustrated by Anain Shaikh (Feiwel and Friends, 32 pages, grades K-3). Rashad the Camel narrates his story, beginning with his early days helping his human Murad work hard to support his family of ten. Their days are long and difficult, but when Covid hits, markets close and their work dries up. One day Murad gets a phone call that changes their lives. Before long, Roshan is wearing a beautiful crimson blanket filled with pockets, each one containing a book. They become a mobile library, traveling to four villages each week where kids can exchange their books. News media soon arrive, and Rohan feels like a star! But the best part of his new life is seeing the excitement of the children when they get their new books. Includes photos and additional information about camels and camel libraries in Pakistan.
Read this to library classes in the first few weeks to build excitement about the library. Kids will love Rohan, and you can show them some of the media coverage on YouTube.
I Am Ingrid: the Adventures of the World’s Greatest Guide Dog by Aria Mia Loberti, illustrated by Vivienne To (Scholastic, 48 pages, ages 4-8). Ingrid tells about her journey to becoming a guide dog. From the time she’s a puppy, she’s confident of her abilities, which is important in the work she learns to do but occasionally makes her an unreliable narrator (“I’ve never eaten anything I’m not supposed to,” she says, accompanied by an illustrator of her with her head in a peanut butter jar). For months, she trains to walk with a human, ignoring distractions and learning to alert the person if they are about to walk into a dangerous situation. Eventually, she meets Aria, the young woman she will guide, and they train together, working with other humans and dogs to perfect their partnership. Finally, Aria gets to take Ingrid home, and Ingrid experiences her first airplane ride. “I am part of a team now,” she says, “But I am still one of a kind.” Includes photos additional information about the real Ingrid and Aria, who starred in the Netflix series All the Light We Cannot See, and who has since regained much of her vision; also a list of guide dog FAQs.
This is a great introduction to guide dogs and the training they go through, all narrated by a funny and adorable black lab. The back matter adds a lot of interest, as well as giving important information about how to interact with guide dogs. Thanks to Scholastic for providing me with an advance copy of this book, which will be available October 21.