THE CAMEL LIBRARY

An ungulate carries an unusual load.

Roshan the camel lives and works with a man named Murad, ferrying firewood to villages in remote areas of Pakistan. Roshan’s days are “desert-dry, dull, and dreary,” filled with backbreaking labor that provides the duo a modest living. With the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, however, their work comes to a standstill, and they worry about their future. One day Murad starts getting shipments of books, and thus begins Roshan’s new job as a mobile library. Roshan enjoys the change of pace and looks forward to meeting the children who eagerly await the arrival of new books. Every week Roshan and Murad travel to different villages, and as media outlets follow their progress, Roshan becomes “an instant star.” Based on true events and told from Roshan’s perspective, this heartening story traces the origin of camel libraries across rural Pakistan. Abbas’ earnestly enthusiastic prose captures the ways that Murad’s and Roshan’s lives shift from a mundane existence to one devoted to brightening the lives of children in gloomy times. Backmatter explains how the success of the first camel library and the ensuing international news coverage resulted in a caravan of camel libraries across the country. In Shaikh’s illustrations, earth tones depicting the dusty desert contrast with brightly colored textiles and the cheer-filled youngsters.

An uplifting tale about spreading the joy of reading.