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 books by bus? Because, as one librarian in Azerbaijan says, "Books are as important to us as air or water!" This is the intriguing photo essay, a celebration of books, readers, and libraries.

Cuando pensamos en una biblioteca, nos imaginamos un edificio en una calle o tal vez una sala en una escuela. Pero algunas bibliotecas no están encerradas entre paredes. Algunas se mueven de un lugar a otro de formas increíbles: en autobús, barco, elefante, burro, tren o incluso en carretilla. Estas innovadoras bibliotecas móviles suelen ser la única manera de llevar libros a la gente que vive en lugares remotos, como las montañas de Tailandia, el desierto Gobi de Mongolia o las zonas rurales de Zimbabue. En lugares como estos, la llegada de las bibliotecas es un gran evento muy anticipado. Sin embargo, los libros nunca llegarían a la gente sin el duro trabajo y la dedicación de los bibliotecarios y voluntarios. Margriet Ruurs, escritora y educadora, se puso en contacto con bibliotecarios de todo el mundo y les pidió que compartieran historias de sus bibliotecas. En muchos casos, los voluntarios y los bibliotecarios tomaron sus cámaras fotográficas y retrataron las caras felices de los niños al recibir los libros. El resultado es este ensayo fotográfico inspirador que celebra los libros, a los lectores y a los bibliotecarios. ¿Por qué los bibliotecarios se toman la molestia de empacar libros en el lomo de un elefante o manejar durante millas para llevar los libros en autobús? Porque, como dice un bibliotecario de Azerbaiyán, “la biblioteca móvil es tan importante como el aire o el agua”.

Fiona Sweeney wants to do something that matters, and she chooses to make her mark in the arid bush of northeastern Kenya. By helping to start a traveling library, she hopes to bring the words of Homer, Hemingway, and Dr. Seuss to far-flung tiny communities where people live daily with drought, hunger, and disease. Her intentions are honorable, and her rules are firm: due to the limited number of donated books, if any one of them is not returned, the bookmobile will not return. But, encumbered by her Western values, Fi does not understand the people she seeks to help. And in the impoverished small community of Mididima, she finds herself caught in the middle of a volatile local struggle when the bookmobile's presence sparks a dangerous feud between the proponents of modernization and those who fear the loss of traditional ways.

Renowned picture book creator Jeanette Winter tells the story of a young girl in Afghanistan who attends a secret school for girls. Young Nasreen has not spoken a word to anyone since her parents disappeared. In despair, her grandmother risks everything to enroll Nasreen in a secret school for girls. Will a devoted teacher, a new friend, and the worlds she discovers in books be enough to draw Nasreen out of her shell of sadness? Based on a true story from Afghanistan, this inspiring book will touch readers deeply as it affirms both the life-changing power of education and the healing power of love.

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 books by bus? Because, as one librarian in Azerbaijan says, "Books are as important to us as air or water!" This is the intriguing photo essay, a celebration of books, readers, and libraries.

Shows how important learning is in a country where only a few children are able to go to school.