Not just camels, but elephants, buses, bikes, boats, and wheelbarrows are also among the unique way reading materials are delivered to children around the world through library and literacy initiatives in their countries. Margriet Ruur’s fascinating photodocumentary looks at programs in thirteen different countries, including books delivered by wheelbarrow on a beach in Australia, by mail to an Inuit village in Canada, by camels in Kenya, and by elephants in Thailand. There are floating libraries in Finland and Indonesia, a donkey-drawn cart in Zimbabwe, and a truck in Azerbaijan. Each two-page spread features a different country and includes a narrative about the program, photographs, and a fact box about the nation. (Ages 5–9)

In rural Zimbabwe, a new “donkey-driven electro-communications cart” brings “solar-powered TV and VCR” to children (30–31), while in Kenya camels deliver books to people in the desert. In this fascinating book, Ruurs documents ways in which librarians reach out to children in specific commu nities in thirteen countries focusing, especially, on the use of mobile libraries, whether these are buses, boats, or elephants. Color photographs and a box with a map, flag, and geographic information accompany the main text for each country, which includes details about specific programs that extend library services beyond traditional library walls. 1996 International Reading Association Notable Book for a Global Society. hc

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.