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Hands Around the Library: Protecting Egypt's Treasured Books by Susan L. Roth and Karen Leggett Abouraya is an informational book, in picture book format, that I recommend for a wide range of ages. With the exuberant textured collages of illustrator Susan L. Roth and a minimum of story text, but a great deal of supplemental information, the dramatic story of how the Alexandria library was saved from violence during the January 2011 protests is told.

The Story

Hands Around the Library: Protecting Egypt's Treasured Books focuses on a single event that happened during the protests that started in Egypt on January 25, 2011, and resulted, 18 days later, in the resignation of Egypt's president. The narrator of the story starts by explaining how unhappy many people in Egypt were because they didn't have the freedom that people living in a democracy have. They learned about freedom from books, discussions and the Internet and wanted it for their country.
As a result, protests begin. When the young people in Alexandria join the protests, others join also and so does the narrator. As the crowd begins marching towards the library, she becomes worried that the protest will turn violent and the library will be damaged.

When the protesters arrive at the library, the library director, Dr. Ismail Serageldin, is waiting for them on the front steps of the library. Because the library is designed to invite people in, not keep people out, Dr. Serageldin tells the crowd, "There is nothing that prevents anybody from destroying this building with all its treasures except the will of the people." One of the protestors breaks away from the crowd, steps up to the library director and clasps his hand in a gesture of support.

Other students and the narrator join them, until soon the library is surrounded by a wall of people standing hand-in-hand to show their support for the library. Another group unfurls a giant flag in front of the library and everyone shouts, "WE LOVE YOU, EGYPT." The library is saved and as the narrator says, "...the library still stands today holding all of our stories."

The Illustrations

Susan L. Roth's brightly colored textured paper collages, which prominently feature Egyptian young people and families, protests signs, and graphic leit motifs, bring drama and life to the story. There are many intriguing details in the illustrations, including the photo-montage backgrounds and the appliqued quilt motifs, all inspired by designs in present-day Egypt.
According to the artist's note at the end of the book, "...my international palette of papers and materials knows no boundaries. My materials hold hands under and over barbed wire fences and stone walls and they march right through border controls. Children cannot grow up supporting angry borders if they are taught, from the time they are born, to love books and to hold hands around the world."

The Book's Added Resources

The eight-page section at the end of Hands Around the Library provides a great deal of supplemental information. There are two pages of small color photographs of the actual event, including the crowd holding hands around the library and the giant flag unfurled in front of the library, as well exterior and interior shots of the magnificent library. There is also a photograph of former librarian Shaimaa Saad, who is acknowledged "...for the generous sharing of her unique primary source information about the Bibliotheca Alexandrina and the actual protests in Alexandria, in which she participated."
A history of the ancient Alexandrian library, including its importance as a center of knowledge, is provided as is information on the modern library, which was completed in 2002 and is known by the same name as the ancient library, Bibliotheca Alexandrina. The new library is huge, with 11 floors, four of which are below ground, and more than one million books.

An essay, The January 25, 2011 Revolution, gives a brief overview of the 18-day revolution, including what happened at the library in Alexandria. Translations are provided for some of the protest signs that were used and are pictured in the illustrations. Information about several related print and online resources is provided. A note from the artist not only describes how the book was developed, but also gives details about her collages and related activities. See Related Online Resources below for more information.

About the Book's Creators

Karen Leggett Abouraya has a background as a journalist and a reviewer of children's book. This is her first book. A note by illustrator and co-author Susan L. Roth at the end of the book explains how the book came to be written. Abouraya, who is married to an Egyptian, came to know and love the Egyptian city of Alexandria. When she told her friend Susan L. Roth about it, Roth and her family were inspired to visit Alexandria, including the library.
Later, when the events described in this book took place and students and others joined hand in hand to save the library, Roth said, "I knew right them that Karen and I had to tell their story." Roth is the author and/or the illustrator of more than 40 children's books, including The Mangrove Tree: Planting Trees to Feed Families, Listen to the Wind, Dream Something Big: The Story of the Watts Towers and Hard Hat Area. (Sources: Hands Around the Library: Protecting Egypt's Treasured Books and Susan L. Roth's website)

Awards and Recognition

The book has been recognized with several children’s book awards.

• 2013 Notable Books for a Global Society from the International Reading Association
• 2013 Best Books for Young Children from the Children's Africana Book Awards Committee
• 2013 NCTE (National Council of Teachers of English) Orbis Pictus Nonfiction Award Recommended List

(Source: Hands Around the Library website)

Related Online Resources

On the Let’s Hold Hands page of her site, children can accept artist Susan L. Roth’s invitation to create their own “ambassador of friendship” and exhibit it online.
You’ll find discussion questions, project ideas and links to news reports on the Hands Around the Library site.

For more about ancient Alexandria, the ancient library and why its loss is still felt, read The Library of Alexandria, Ancient History: Alexandria and Famous People Who Worked at the Ancient Library of Alexandria. Find Alexandria on this map of Egypt. For an introduction to Egypt and its attractions, see Egypt - Facts and Information.

Read the words of Ismail Serageldin, Librarian of Alexandria and Director of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina in his open letter, A Salute to the Great Youth of Egypt on the Bibliotheca Alexandrina site for a heartfelt response to the events that began January 25, 2011.

My Recommendation

While the publisher lists the ages 3-5 for the book, I disagree that 3 to 5 year olds should (or are) the primary audience for Hands Around the Library: Protecting Egypt's Treasured Books. While I do recommend the book as a read aloud/read alone for ages 6 to 10, I think it is a terrific resource for kids in upper elementary and middle school (even high school) who are interested in current events or whose interest you want to capture.
Why do I recommend Hands Around the Library for older readers? The book engages students' emotions and interest by recreating a moment in time that still reverberates today. The material at the end of the book and the online resources provide helpful material for parents and teachers interested in extending young readers' understanding. (Dial Books for Young Readers, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group, 2012. ISBN: 9780803737471)