Based on a true event, this book tells how the librarian at Basra enlisted the help of the community to save over 70 percent of the collection in the library. The library was burned in the war and conflict that engulfed Basra, Iraq in 2003.
The story can provide a springboard for discussion regarding the love of books and literature, the importance of libraries in a community, a respect for knowledge, the implications of war on individuals and communities and the war in Iraq.
The illustrations, similar to the Ted Harrison style, present a rich resource for viewing and representing.

During the Rwandan genocide, five-year-old Emma hides behind an armchair. From her hiding place, she hears the murder of her mother. When silence fills the home, Emma is able to escape and hide in the bush. She observes an old Hutu woman and decides to approach her for food. The old woman risks her own life when she takes Emma into her home. After the war ends, the two women settle into a routine and continue to live together.
Rwanda establishes the Gacaca courts in villages where victims can face their tormentors to seek justice. Emma seeks friendship with Ndoli, another victim of the genocide. Sitting outside the Gacaca court, Ndoli and Emma listen to the victims tell their stories. With the help of an elderly man whose job is to help young child survivors, Ndoli and Emma start the healing process.
A brief author's note puts the book in its historical context.

In 1975, the Khmer Rouge came into power and forced people out of their homes and into the countryside to work. Nat is nine years old when he is taken from his home. Separated from his family, Nat works in the rice fields from dawn to midnight. He endures four years of hard labour, brutality and little food. The Vietnamese Liberation Army troops force out the Khmer Rouge and people start to search for family members.
The book includes brief background information and historical photographs on the Cambodian genocide.