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26th out of 76 books
—
91 voters
My Librarian Is a Camel: How Books Are Brought to Children Around the World
by
Margriet Ruurs (Goodreads Author)
Do you get books from a public library in your town or even in your school library? In many remote areas of the world, there are no library buildings. In many countries, books are delivered in unusual way: by bus, boat, elephant, donkey, train, even by wheelbarrow. Why would librarians go to the trouble of packing books on the backs of elephants or driving miles to deliver...more
Hardcover, 32 pages
Published
August 1st 2005
by Boyds Mills Press
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Another great book for opening our eyes about how things are different in other countries. This time, how books get to children! Everything from buses, to boats, to bikes, to camels, to elephants. Really really interesting.
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My Librarian is a Camel is a book filled with different excerpts about how books are brought to children around the world. Margriet Ruurs includes research from Australia, Azerbaijan, Canada, England, Finland, Indonesia, Kenya, Mongolia, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Thailand, and Zimbabwe. Ruurs felt inclined to write this book because years ago she read an article about the use of camels to bring books to children who were residing in small, remote villages. She was inspired by the article...more
Living in Portland, I’m definitely familiar with and spoiled by library love. Whether it’s the magnificent buildings of the Multnomah County Library, a bicycle-powered mobile library for the homeless, or mini lending libraries popping up all over the city, there are no shortages of access to books here. Because they are seemingly everywhere, it can be easy to take for granted this one of many (many, many) services libraries provide. In other countries, libraries can be rarities, which in turn me...more
Dec 21, 2009
Lisa Vegan
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
6-12 year old children who use libraries of any type; everyone who loves books & libraries
Recommended to Lisa by:
Abigail
Shelves:
childrens,
books-about-books,
gr-author,
non-fiction,
picture-books,
social-culture,
reviewed
This book reminds me that it’s time to stop kvetching when certain books I want to read aren’t available for borrowing from any of my libraries. They have a huge selection and I have a large number of owned books too. I thought this book was inspiring and educational and fun.
I just finished reading the book That Book Woman , which is a fiction book based on the Pack Horse Librarians, who delivered books to children living in the Appalachian Mountains. My Goodreads friend Abigail noticed that boo...more
I just finished reading the book That Book Woman , which is a fiction book based on the Pack Horse Librarians, who delivered books to children living in the Appalachian Mountains. My Goodreads friend Abigail noticed that boo...more
The concept for this book is wonderful, how children around the world visit the library even when they live in isolated and sometimes dangerous places. However, I did not think it was very well organized. Each page is a different country and the reader is provided with a few photos, a basic map of the country, a blurp of basic information regarding that country, and a synopsis of what makes their library different> For example, in Kenya librarians arrive on camel and set up tents to hand out...more
I had recently read the novel, The Camel Bookmobile, by Masha Hamilton. So I had go find out more about the program that uses camels to to African small villages. This nonfiction book describes what REAL bookmobiles are like (many urban children have never even heard of a bookmobile). It also describes how books are delivered to remote Native American villages in Canada (via the postal service as children request books on the internet and then the books are mailed to them and they are also retur...more
Pretty 90s-looking design, but I absolutely loved seeing all the different ways that dedicated people get books to children in the most remote places, and to other people just for fun. They use elephants, donkeys, camels, bicycles, boats, trucks, and even wheelbarrows on the beach. The mobile library in Australia was definitely the coolest and most high-tech, but I think the story in Papua New Guinea is the most heartwarming: Those volunteers drive as far as they can in their truck, then carry t...more
Very cool book about the way books are brought to children around the world. I'm not sure if I feel glad or sad that I don't go to work every day on a camel!
Okay, I like this book because I like seeing all the different ways that mobile libraries work around the world. However, I feel like this book does, to a degree, reinforce the idea that "foreign places" are backwards and different. It might have been nice to inset of a photo of a major library in each country as well. After all, Canadians do not all live in the frozen netherlands and one of my favorite libraries growing up was in Sydney, Nova Scotia. I never entered this library in anything oth...more
Jan 08, 2009
Cindi
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommended to Cindi by:
Marni
Shelves:
world-culture,
about-books-and-reading-aloud
This was truly excellent. It's so easy to forget, sitting here as a middle class citizen in the grand U.S.A. that there are people who might not have books. Not have books? Thanks to Material World and Hungry Planet, I've been thinking more lately about where people around the world live (housing), what possessions they have and their lack or abundance of food.
This book was about how children get books to read. Camels, elephants, boats, book trains, bookmobiles etc. It was cheering to read. I w...more
This book was about how children get books to read. Camels, elephants, boats, book trains, bookmobiles etc. It was cheering to read. I w...more
Used for Geography - found country on globe and read the blurb about the country and then learned about the unique ways that books are delivered. Bea loved seeing the donkeys, camels, etc. carrying the books. The book is a bit wordy - a few too many weird/boring details in some sections - and it is a bit repetitive (yes, the roads are bad, we get it...) but those details can easily be glossed over when reading aloud. It is a small detail of life that we might take for granted here so this book h...more
Margriet Ruurs was inspired by a newspaper article that highlighted the fact that camels were used to bring children books in Kenya...she was curious about how children in other parts of the world came into contact with books. Ruurs researched the following countries (Australia, Azerbaijan, Canada, England, Finland, Indonesia, Kenya, Mongolia, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Thailand, and Zimbabwe) and shares their unique library practices in this book.
My favorite is the book-boat of Finland.
My favorite is the book-boat of Finland.
Fascinating look at how children all over the world get access to books. It sure makes you grateful you can just take a short walk or drive to your local library! Some of the areas in the world are served by charities that make it possible for children to even have any books at all. You could use this as a way to launch an effort to raise money for these charities, or just to introduce your children to different cultures and people. Preschool Unit: Friends in Many Lands
please don't take your public library for granted...in some countries camels and donkeys carry books to places where cars can't reach...even boats and buses are used as libraries.
This book made me happy and sad at the same time
happy because I sensed the happiness children felt when they received books in nomadic areas
Sad because I think the number of books must be very small...how many books a camel or a donkey can carry...so their choices are very limited :(
This book made me happy and sad at the same time
happy because I sensed the happiness children felt when they received books in nomadic areas
Sad because I think the number of books must be very small...how many books a camel or a donkey can carry...so their choices are very limited :(
A facinating study into how people around the world access books. I find it heartwarming to realize there are people willing to get out of their comfort zones to provide library services to those who can't get books any other way.
The photos are great, the text is not too lengthy and each country is highlighted with a small map and information to help students identify where the country is.
Children at a 4+ reading level should be able to read this book.
The photos are great, the text is not too lengthy and each country is highlighted with a small map and information to help students identify where the country is.
Children at a 4+ reading level should be able to read this book.
It's one of my major career goals (for real!) to someday work as part of a bookmobile, so this book is pretty much a dream come true. It describes different ways that volunteers and librarians provide access to books for people in very rural parts of the world. Books travel by bike, wheelbarrow, elephants, etc. It's so inspiring to read about how happy the bookmobiles make the people that they reach. I'm a dork; I teared up a little.
Non Fiction - Possibly 3-5 grade.
Australia, Azerbaijan, Canada, England, Finland, Indonesia, Kenya, Mongolia, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Thailand, Zimbabwe
Great book for geography and culture.
Each two-page spread has real photos of books, libraries, and children. There is also a inset box of the country's flag, shape, and basic info on country.
Could be great addition for when children explore countries.
Australia, Azerbaijan, Canada, England, Finland, Indonesia, Kenya, Mongolia, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Thailand, Zimbabwe
Great book for geography and culture.
Each two-page spread has real photos of books, libraries, and children. There is also a inset box of the country's flag, shape, and basic info on country.
Could be great addition for when children explore countries.
A collection of unusual libraries from around the world. Loved the quote from Mongolia where one book tour gives food along with the stories: 'After the children listen to stories and choose books, Mr. Dashdondog asks: "Which is sweeter: books or candies?" And the children always answer: "BOOKS!" ' Those who prophesy the demise of the book would do well to remember accounts like these.
I recommended this book for our reading competition among third and forth graders in our school. This great book tells how books are brought to children around the world. A map, flag and paragraph about each country is included on the pages. It is really inspiring to see what lengths people will go to in order to deliver or obtain books.
Apr 01, 2009
CML OSU
added it
Have you ever wondered how library books are brought to areas of the world without physical library buildings? This is a wonderful story about of how librarians around the world provide children with books. Whether it's by elephant, camel, or bus, the world's librarians are making information accessible to all!
This is an interesting book about how books are delivered to children (and adults too) in different places throughout the world. In addition to the camel mentioned in the title, other modes of transportation include boats, humans, wheelbarrow, horse, solar-powered truck, and donkey-drawn truck. Very informative!
I saw this at the library (the 4-square walls in the suburbs kind) and had to grab it. What a fun read with great photos and interesting facts about the featured countries.
If I was a kid, this book would have been right up my alley. The 4-stars above show it still is!
If I was a kid, this book would have been right up my alley. The 4-stars above show it still is!
I love reading this at the beginning of the school year to share how kids around the world get books. Elephants, camels, boats, bikes... books are carried all kinds of ways to reach remote villages. And how do we get books in Chicago? Very EASILY, we all agree.
I love this book! Librarians use camels, elephants, donkeys, boats and more to get books in the hands of children around the globe. The librarian in Azerbaijan says, "For us, the mobile library is as important as air or water." That's how I feel about books, too!
I wish this were a book for adults! The text was pretty basic, when what I really wanted was lots of details about the organizations, and stories about their day to day experiences. However, it seemed like it could be used as a jumping off platform for more research.
This is a beautiful, informative book on unusual library systems around the world that is ultimately a celebration of the joy books bring. It is a picture book with wonderful photos, and more text than a preschooler can appreciate, but just right for me.
Clever book of photos from around the world and quick descriptions of the sometimes amazing lengths people will go to get books distributed to farflung places. Pitched to kids.
I'm using this book with my literacy technology club. Students are researching each country in order to create a Google Lit Trip. Www.googlelittrips.org
PB 21: Informative, pretty cool in that aspect, but not set-up in a very kid friendly format even though there are plenty of pictures.
I bought this book from a library book sale many years ago. I was a favorite in my preschool classroom.
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Margriet Ruurs is the author of more than 28 children's books, many of them award winners.
Margriet lives on Salt Spring Island where she runs BETWEEN THE COVERS, a booklovers' B & B (see: http://www.betweenthecoversbandb.com/)
She writes regular book reviews of YA and picturebooks here: http://margrietruurs.blogspot.ca/
Margriet visits schools around the world to conduct dynamic author presenta...more
More about Margriet Ruurs...
Margriet lives on Salt Spring Island where she runs BETWEEN THE COVERS, a booklovers' B & B (see: http://www.betweenthecoversbandb.com/)
She writes regular book reviews of YA and picturebooks here: http://margrietruurs.blogspot.ca/
Margriet visits schools around the world to conduct dynamic author presenta...more
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