The Camel Library: A True Story from Pakistan
Alongside warm and soft illustrations by Anain Shaikh, Marzieh Abbas lovingly weaves the heartfelt true story of Pakistan's first camel library, which reconnected Pakistani children to the light of books in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Meet Roshan the camel! He spends his days carrying firewood with his human, Murad, to feed their family. One day, a pandemic sweeps through their home country of Pakistan, closing the schools and public libraries. Many children, especially in rural areas, were left without access to learning materials.
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Raised between the bustling cities of Dubai, UAE and Karachi, Pakistan, Marzieh Abbas loves traveling, baking, reading and samosas. She is also the author of A Dupatta Is... and Henna Is..., a member of SCBWI, 12x12PB, and a life-long learner.
Anain Shaikh is an illustrator and communication designer based in Karachi, Pakistan. She graduated from the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture with a major in Design and a minor in Illustration. She loves reading books and believes they are doors to tiny universes in your hands. In her free time you would usually find her painting murals on the furniture around her house or playing games on her Switch. She is a huge animal lover and has two cats named Bunny and Smoll.Praise for Henna Is...:
"Writing in vivid, sensory language, [Abbas] offers an all-encompassing exploration of the topic, accompanied by Chouhan's enticing illustrations dominated by floral patterns and symbols from the various cultures where henna is popular. Nontraditional henna designs--smiley faces, ice cream cones, thunderbolts--appear, too, lending a playfulness to the art. A joyful look at an important cultural tradition." --Kirkus Reviews"Colorful and affirming illustrations mirror each description, leaving cultural insiders warmly gratified and cultural outsiders with new knowledge. An author's note adds a little more context. ... Pair Henna Is . . . with Meera Sriram's A Garden in My Hands (2023) and Zain Bandali's Mehndi Boy (2023) for a cute text set all about henna." --Booklist Praise for A Dupatta Is...:
"Abbas offers not just a story, but a poetic explanation of a traditional scarf worn by the people of Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. ... From color to function, beauty to identity, the dupatta's significance is shown through vivid illustrations from -Chouhan. ... This book exquisitely represents the legacy that is the dupatta through imagery and descriptive text for a beautiful lesson in culture." --School Library Journal
"Similar in form to Kevin Noble Maillard's Fry Bread (2019), illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal, this rhythmic description of a dupatta's importance in a South Asian Muslim family is an affectionate homage. ... The book's warm, well-chosen language depicts a joyful, accurate representation of a dupatta's multigenerational importance in family life. ... A lyrical, multisensory celebration of a South Asian garment." --Kirkus Reviews "Noting in evocative, expansive terms what 'a dupatta is, ' Abbas's free-verse quatrains and Chouhan's jewel-toned digital images describe the traditional South Asian scarf. ... Vibrant patterned illustrations show individuals with a variety of skin tones in assorted scenarios. Additional information and a glossary conclude this look at a garment that is 'so much more' than mere apparel." --Publishers Weekly
