Pari will be accompanying her mama as she drives the library bus. This bus is filled with shelves of books and today is Pari's first time helping. They leave Kabul before sunrise, arriving at a small village in a valley hidden by mountains just as dawn comes. Once the bus parks, Pari opens the back door and welcomes a group of girls into the bus. After they have returned their library books and chosen new ones, Pari's mama helps them learn the English alphabet.
Soon they are off to another destination, this time a refugee camp beyond the mountains. On the way Mama tells Pari that her Grandpa taught her to read. Girls were not allowed to attend school when she was a young girl, so they had to learn to read and write in secret. But Pari will be able to attend school next year.
Discussion
Bahram Rahman was born in Kabul, Afghanistan and grew up during the civil war and the Taliban regime. After earning a medical degree and a graduate degree in public policy, Rahman was able to emigrate to Canada in 2012. He had been active in Afghanistan, working to try to improve the rights of girls and women in the country. Girls like his own sister were not able to attend school.
The Library Bus was inspired by the real first library bus to operate in Kabul, Afghanistan run by Charmaghz, a Kabul-based non-profit. Founded by Freshta Karim, a young Afghani woman, Charmaghz works to encourage critical thinking in children so they can grow up to be "positive and open-minded individuals". As a result of the repressive policies of the Taliban, Afghanistan has a very low literacy rate. It is estimated that over three million girls in Afghanistan have never been to school.
Like the bus in this picture book, the Charmaghz Mobile Library bus which is rented from the Ministry of Transport, leaves early in the morning and travels to two or three locations each day. Care is taken to park the bus in an area that will be safe from bombs or terrorist attacks. The mobile library stays at each location for about two hours. In that time children are free to look for books in the mobile library and for those who cannot read, there is a storytime at the back of the bus on the carpeted floor. This is a much needed service for the many children who have no access to books.
The Library Bus tells about the mobile library bus using Rahman's simple text accompanied by the delightful, expressive illustrations done by artist Gabrielle Grimard. The illustrations rendered in watercolour and digital media, capture the delight and wonder of the children as they greet the bus and search for books.
To learn more about Charmaghaz, check out their website.
Book Details:
The Library Bus by Bahram Rahman
Toronto: Pajama Press 2020
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