List: For the love of books - Books that celebrate Libraries and Librarians

This week (14-20 November) is celebrated as National Library Week in India. This called for putting together a list of books (both Indian and western) on libraries from our collection and is dedicated to all libraries and librarians who work tirelessly to spread the love of books.

The list is in the order that we read them. Those that have been reviewed by Housefull of Books have been linked to the original review post.

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Thanks for reading House Full of Books! If you’re reading this for the first time, please consider subscribing for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Library Lion

“Library Lion” by Michelle Knudsen and illustrated by Kevin Hawkes. An evergreen picture book about a lion who loves visiting a library and helping around. He has to take a difficult decision one day when an unforeseen incident takes place and he has to decide whether to follow the library rules or risk being denied entry thereafter.

The Librarian of Basra

“The Librarian of Basra” by Jeanette Winter. A story based on true events from Iraq about a librarian’s struggle to save her community’s priceless collection of books when war broke out. Alia Muhammad Baker was the librarian of the port city of Basra in Iraq.

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr.Morris Lessmore

“The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr.Morris Lessmore” by W.E.Joyce. Illustrated by W.E.Joyce and Joe Bluhm. A beautiful and poignant story about the power of stories, reading and books. Morris Lessmore spends his lifetime amidst lots of books at a library in this amazing picture book.

The Bookworm

“The Bookworm” by Lavanya R.N. and illustrated by Shilo Shiv Suleman. A story about little Sesha and his brown book which can transform him into a whole new person. Sesha seeks refuge from his stammer and bullying classmates by burying himself in the books from the library in this book.

Noon Chai and a Story

“Noon Chai and a Story” by Aditi Rao and illustrated by Ghazal Qadri. A story from a village in Kashmir about the love for books and what they mean to those who don’t have easy access to them. Little Amiya who lives in the village of Gurez located close to the line of control in Kashmir wants to collect books and set up a library in her school.

The Night Library

“The Night Library” by David Zeltser and illustrated by Raul Colón. A heartwarming story of a little boy who has lost his love for books and needs to be reminded that so much can happen when one opens a book. The boy is taken to the New York Public Library by a lion called Fortitude one night on a magical trip to rekindle his reading.

My Trip to La-La Land

“My Trip to La-La Land” by Nandita da Cunha and illustrated by Tasneem Amiruddin. An interesting travel diary of nine year old Tavishi who finds herself being dragged on a trip to Ladakh to set up a library in a remote mountain school of all places during her vacation. This story is a means of paying tribute to organisations which build libraries in remote locations overcoming so many hurdles just so that the children there have access to stories and books.

Thammi’s Gift

“Thammi’s Gift” by Himani Dalmia and illustrated by Priya Kuriyan. An endearing story of five year old Devika who overcomes her fears of coping with transition when she discovers the healing powers of books, libraries and doing what she loves through the guiding spirit of her Thammi (grandmother).  This book is inspired by anecdotes from the life of the pioneering Indian librarian Bandana Sen who set up children’s libraries in schools and reading programs to encourage children to read.