Behind My Doors: The Story of the World's Oldest Library

by Hena Khan, Nabila Adani (Illustrator)

Overview

Come learn about the oldest operating library in existence, which was originally founded by a Muslim woman in 859!

Merhaba! Welcome! Meet Al-Qarawiyyin Library—the oldest library in the world. Do you want to see what magical treasures are behind its doors? You'll find special reading rooms where young and old gathered to discuss, debate, and discover the world. And, most important, the collection of books that hold knowledge more valuable than any jewels! Open its doors, unlock its story, and discover an adventure that only a library can share.

Told from the unique perspective of the library, award-winning author Hena Khan, along with luminous illustrations by Nabila Adani, bring to readers Behind My Doors, a charming ode to the magical wonders of each and every library.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781643794235
Publisher:	Lee & Low Books
Publication date:	05/07/2024
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	5 - 10 Years

About the Author

Hena Khan is the author of many award-winning children's books, including Under My Hijab, Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns, Amina's Voice, and the Zara's Rules series. She lives near Washington, DC, with her family. Please visit her online at henakhan.com and follow her at @henakhanbooks.

Nabila Adani is an illustrator who briefly worked as a product designer before moving to the United States to study children's book illustration. She now enjoys illustrating different cultures from around the world for children. She lives in Jakarta, Indonesia. You can see more of her work at nabilaadani.wixsite.com/graphics.

Editorial Reviews

"A lovingly told ode to libraries, Islamic intellectual history, storytelling, and the role of women in Muslim history." — The Horn Book

"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." — Booklist

"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." — Kirkus Reviews

Best Books for Kids 2024 - THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY.
Best Children's Books of the Year 2025 - Bank Street College of Education
Best of the Best Books 2024 - Chicago Public Library
Books We Love 2024 - National Public Radio (NPR)
Bookstagang Best Books of the Year 2024 - Bookstagang
Land of Enchantment Book Award Nominee 2025 - New Mexico Library Association

From the Publisher

2024-05-04
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)

Kirkus Reviews