My Librarian is a Camel

Ruurs, Margriet. 2005. My librarian is a camel: How books are brought to children around the world. Honesville, PA: Boyds Mills Press.

Most of us grew up thinking of libraries as buildings. In some remote parts of the world, libraries can take on unusual forms. The title of the book hooks us immediately by bringing up the image of a camel checking out books. It could be a fiction title, but this is an informational book about unique libraries around the world. It provides an educational tour around the world to see how books are brought to children by boat, bicycle, horseback, trains, camels and even by elephants!

I appreciate the fact that in addition to learning about these unusual libraries, children are learning facts about other countries and their people. Each chapter contains a flag and a few important facts about the featured country. The colorful photos give the children a visual taste of how kids around the world appreciate things that they sometimes take for granted.

This is a fun, interesting and educational read and the book could also be a great tool for sparking interest in using the library. It could be part of a unit on teaching library skills or perhaps be included as part of a display for National Library Week.

It could be paired very well with Down Cut Shin Creek: The Pack Horse Librarians of Kentucky by Kathi Appelt and Jeanne Cannella Schmitzer That book shows how American librarians delivered books by horseback to poor Americans is rural areas of Kentucky during the Great Depression.

My Librarian is a Camel is recommended for children in grades 3-5.