The Camel Library: A True Story from Pakistan
Published on 22. September 2025
Book
Hardback
32 pages
978-1-250-32202-9 (ISBN)
Description
Meet Roshan the camel. He spends his days carrying firewood with his human, Murad, to feed their family. One day, a pandemic sweeps through their home country of Pakistan, closing the schools and public libraries. Many children, especially in rural areas, were left without access to learning materials.
Then Roshan and Murad get a call from an organisation that wants to help, and they accept a new mission: instead of carrying firewood, they'll carry books. Day after day, they set out to different villages, Roshan's back loaded with books to lend out to the children they meet. But they don't just bring stories - they also carry joy, hope, and connection.
Alongside warm and soft illustrations by Anain Shaikh, Marzieh Abbas lovingly weaves the heartfelt true story of Pakistan's first camel library, which reconnected Pakistani children to the light of books in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The back of the book includes photos and more information about the camel library program, as well as fun facts about camels.
Then Roshan and Murad get a call from an organisation that wants to help, and they accept a new mission: instead of carrying firewood, they'll carry books. Day after day, they set out to different villages, Roshan's back loaded with books to lend out to the children they meet. But they don't just bring stories - they also carry joy, hope, and connection.
Alongside warm and soft illustrations by Anain Shaikh, Marzieh Abbas lovingly weaves the heartfelt true story of Pakistan's first camel library, which reconnected Pakistani children to the light of books in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The back of the book includes photos and more information about the camel library program, as well as fun facts about camels.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
Children/juvenile
Interest Age: From 3 years
Illustrations
full-color illustrations throughout
Dimensions
Height: 286 mm
Width: 230 mm
Thickness: 11 mm
Weight
384 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-250-32202-9 (9781250322029)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Raised between the bustling cities of Dubai, UAE and Karachi, Pakistan, Marzieh Abbas loves traveling, baking, reading and samosas. She is also the author of A Dupatta Is... and Henna Is., a member of SCBWI, 12x12PB, and a life-long learner. authormarzieh.wordpress.com
Anain Shaikh is an illustrator and communication designer based in Karachi, Pakistan. She graduated from the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture with a major in Design and a minor in Illustration. She loves reading books and believes they are doors to tiny universes in your hands. In her free time you would usually find her painting murals on the furniture around her house or playing games on her Switch. She is a huge animal lover and has two cats named Bunny and Smoll.
Anain Shaikh is an illustrator and communication designer based in Karachi, Pakistan. She graduated from the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture with a major in Design and a minor in Illustration. She loves reading books and believes they are doors to tiny universes in your hands. In her free time you would usually find her painting murals on the furniture around her house or playing games on her Switch. She is a huge animal lover and has two cats named Bunny and Smoll.