Alia Muhammad Baker had held the post of chief librarian in Basra, Iraq, for 14 years when coalition forces descended on the country last year. Earlier, when the outbreak of war appeared imminent, Baker, fearing the safety of her beloved collection, petitioned the governor's office for permission to remove the books from the building, a likely target for bombs and arson. That request was denied. As British troops invaded the city in April 2003, Baker took matters into her own hands. She enlisted the aid of a nearby restaurateur, his employees, family and neighbors, all of whom helped carry 30,000 volumes—70% of the collection—out of the Basra Central Library, which looters had already stripped of furniture, carpets and fixtures. Working all night and day, they literally handed the books from person to person over a wall to stash them in the restaurant until Baker could later transport them to her and friends' homes. Nine days after the rescue mission, the library—and its remaining books—were destroyed by a fire of unknown origin.
When Shaila K. Dewan, a New York Times reporter, subsequently visited this restaurant, the owner passed along to her the dramatic story of Baker's remarkable accomplishment, which the writer recounted in an article that ran on July 27, 2003. That piece spawned two new children's books: The Librarian of Basra: A True Story from Iraq by Jeanette Winter, a January title from Harcourt; and Alia's Mission: Saving the Books of Iraq by Mark Alan Stamaty, due out this month from Knopf.
Winter recalls finding Dewan's article in the Times that summer Sunday morning. "I don't think I read the rest of the paper," said the author and artist, whose previous books include a number of picture-book biographies and September Roses, a tribute to the victims of the September 11 attack on the World Trade Towers. "I immediately saw this as a children's book and knew right away I would do it. I realized that this was a way to bring together what was happening in the world with what I do every day, which is work on children's books."
Unsure how she would approach the art for her book, Winter first perused the picture collection at the New York Public Library, where she found pictures of Iraq's wars—both the current one and the earlier Gulf War. Other inspirations for her art came from an exhibit of photos by war correspondents at the International Center of Photography, which she said "made a deep impression on me," and from an exhibit of children's art created in wartime, described by the author as "a beautiful show that helped me to see what children's ideas of war and peace are."
To present Baker's story without making its wartime setting too frightening for a picture-book audience, Winter said that when portraying the war-related scenes she "tried to keep the art abstract. The people are presented as silhouettes and are very similar to each other so they don't look like specific people. I tried to keep the war in the background. I think children can handle stories of war, but it's best to come at it sideways, in an oblique way. I focused on Alia and saving the books. The war is there, but it isn't front stage."
Asked why she believes this is an important story for children to hear, Winter said, "I hope they take with them the feeling that one person can really make a difference. I hope they remember Alia's bravery protecting what was important to her, especially when she initially felt powerless. She defied both sides—her own government and the invaders. We all feel powerless sometimes, but when we believe in something, we can move the world."
A Graphic-Novel View of Baker's Tale
Mark Alan Stamaty, a children's book author and political cartoonist whose work has appeared in numerous newspapers and magazines, arrived at his book project through several Random House Children's Books staffers, who were also taken by the Times article. He recollects that Kate Gartner, associate art director of Knopf Delacorte Dell Young Readers Group, passed along the article to editors Janet Schulman and Erin Clarke, who, in Stamaty's words, "wanted to turn the story into a book and wanted it done as a graphic novel, since this is a news story, one involving politics and one based on a real event. Since I have a strong background in both political cartooning and children's books, they thought of me. When I read the article I knew right away that this was a story with heart to it. I found it irresistible."
To relay Baker's story in graphic-novel style, Stamaty did extensive research on the Internet. "I wanted to get the setting as correct as I could, so I searched for pictures of Basra. It was rather hit or miss," he reported. "Sometimes it seemed fruitless and then periodically I'd [find] some good images to work with. I spent a fair amount of time figuring out what the buildings, especially the library, would look like. Since I was depicting a Muslim woman, I wanted to make sure I got such details as her head covering just right. I called up a mosque in my neighborhood who referred me to experts on Muslim religion and traditions."
Not surprisingly, Stamaty found dealing with the topic of war in a children's book a challenge, but not an overly daunting one. "Basically, I focused instead on the core of Alia's world, which is her love of books," he said. "I began by describing her feeling of joy about her work and showed that that was what was being threatened. I had to represent the danger she faced, but emphasized the point that she was fearless and strong throughout. When the people in power would not become her allies, she had to find other allies. I think she passes on a great message for kids: find work that you love and it will help you get through everything."
Making Baker's story even more remarkable is the fact that she had a stroke and required heart surgery not long after her book rescue. She has reportedly recovered and is now committed to overseeing the design and building of a new Basra library before retiring. Publishers will be helping her in the latter endeavor. Random House will donate copies of the Arabic edition of Alia's Mission, along with other RHCB titles, to libraries throughout Iraq. And a portion of the proceeds from the sale of both The Librarian of Basra and Alia's Mission will be donated to the ALA's Iraq Book Program to help fund the purchase of new children's books for the country's libraries (the proceeds from the Harcourt title will be specifically earmarked for the Basra library). All of which should bring Baker closer to her dream.
