Nour's Secret Library
Forced to take shelter when their Syrian city is plagued with bombings, young Nour and her cousin begin to bravely build a secret underground library. Based on the author’s own life experience and inspired by a true story, Nour’s Secret Library is about the power of books to heal, transport and create safe spaces during difficult times. Illustrations by Romanian artist Vali Mintzi superimpose the colorful world the children construct over black-and-white charcoal depictions of the battered city.
Key Selling Points:
- UNIQUE SUBJECT MATTER: An age-appropriate window into the lives of children who are surrounded by war.
- INSPIRED BY A TRUE STORY: Author Wafa' Tarnowska was deeply impacted by her experience during Lebanon's civil war in 1975 — forced to hide out underground to survive, and finding tremendous comfort in books. So when she read the true story of a secret library in Syria, she instantly identified with the experience of the children there. Wafa' drew on inspiration from both her own life and also from the true story of the secret library to tell a universal tale — the tale of the joy of reading during times of trauma and stress.
- GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE: Readers see Nour’s family in Syria, both before and after the war, showing how war can transform a place and its ways of life.
- SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING: Nour and the other children display bravery and ingenuity as they create a beautiful world while experiencing the hardships of war.
- ENDNOTES: Detailed endnotes contain information about Syria, the real secret library of Darayya, Syria, famous libraries of the Middle East, and more.
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