Behind my doors The story of the world's oldest library

Commemorating what is said to be the world's oldest continuously open library, Khan gives the building itself a stately voice to describe its AD 859 founding in Fez by a wealthy woman named Fatima al-Fihri, some of its bookish treasures, its long decline after being a center of learning for scholars including Maimonides and Ibn Khaldun, and its modern refurbishment by architect Aziza Chaouni. Adani's atmospheric views of the city's medina (old quarter) and the library's quiet courtyard lead to views of modern book stacks and students mingling in a bright, classically decorated reading room. In a quick afterword, the author adds details about the attached university (also said to be the world's oldest) and about Chaouni, closing with reference sources in English. The library's role in the history of scholarship is well established, and readers will have no trouble extending the thought that its purpose as a place "to sit, think, and dream big" encompasses all of its descendants.

The Al-Qarawiyyin Library of Fez, which serves as the first-person narrator of this nonfiction picture book, beckons the reader to hear the tale of its founding, glory days, disrepair, and restoration. From a humble start ("I began as a small corner for books") within a Moroccan mosque founded in 859 CE by Fatima al Fihri, the library becomes a grand part of Al-Qarawiyyin University, a place of tranquility, reflection, and learning. Though the knowledge held within its walls is a constant, amid changing kingdoms and threat from a great fire, the library falls into disuse. Passing by the building as a child, Aziza Chaouni, who holds a familial connection to the library, later returns as an adult architect. Her team restores and preserves the library and its materials for generations of learners to come. Khan's poetic text is accompanied by Adani's equally gentle, textured imagery of geometric patterns, tiles, and architectural features of Fez. The digital illustrations are further enriched with small details from Kufic script in the Qur'an to the variety of skin tones and dress styles displayed. An author's note, a glossary, and references are included in the back matter. A lovingly told ode to libraries, Islamic intellectual history, storytelling, and the role of women in Muslim history. Ariana HussainMarch/April 2024 p.111 (c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

The story of the Al-Qarawiyyin Library in Fez, Morocco, narrated by the building itself. In 859, Fatima Al-Fihri, the daughter of a rich merchant, decided to build a mosque and school. "I began as a small corner for books, where Fatima spent hours reading, thinking, and dreaming." Over time, the library explains that it "grew into a grand building." The library, which served both Al-Qarawiyyin Mosque and Al-Qarawiyyin University, was a tranquil space within bustling Fez. Visitors were greeted by a quiet courtyard filled with fountains and lanterns. A special room secured by copper doors with four locks protected its treasures: "an ancient Quran written on camel-leather pages, a philosopher's drawings of the stars, and handwritten sheets with ink made from real gold." Debates by Muslim explorer Muhammad al-Idrisi, Jewish philosopher Maimonides, and many others echoed in the library's reading rooms. But eventually the library fell into disrepair, and visitors stopped coming. Its once-beautiful tiles were now broken and faded, its ceilings were cracked, and water damage threatened its books. Finally, in 2012, architect Aziza Chaouni restored this historic institution, now the world's oldest continuously operating library. Adani's digital illustrations highlight beautiful architectural details such as latticed partitions and suffuse the building with a warm glow. Khan's first-person prose imbues the subject with both intimacy and a sense of majesty; readers will come away awed at the role of libraries as repositories of knowledge. A moving tribute to a cultural treasure. (author's note, glossary, references) (Informational picture book. 5-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.