Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Stories must be preserved at all costs. In April 1966, a raging fire broke out at the Jewish Theological Seminary on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, threatening to destroy its historic, multilingual, and multidisciplinary library. In what became known as Operation Booklift, religious leaders of various faiths worked tirelessly alongside the diverse community to salvage, clean, repair, and restore the collections. Seventy thousand items were ultimately lost, though miraculously 170,000 books and other materials were rescued. A food scientist proposed freeze-drying the soaked items, drenched from firefighters’ onslaught of water. Then a library volunteer came up with a more doable solution: inserting paper towels between wet pages. The call went out, and volunteers raised the necessary funds to purchase toweling. The urgency of the community is matched by the book’s compelling text. Pritchard’s forceful writing is marked by inspired turns of phrase. A recurring refrain set in blue type—“Keep our stories alive”—is breathlessly addressed to the walls of the library, to the firefighters’ blankets, to the sprays of rushing water, and to the pages themselves. The marvelous illustrations, created with acrylic paints, colored pencil, and collage, are abuzz with spirited, robust movement; Alko’s use of found objects, including what appear to be book excerpts, lends the narrative immediacy. A stirring testament to the power of books to unite us all for good. (about the Jewish Theological Seminary Library fire of 1966, photos, author’s note, key sources)(Informational picture book. 6-9) Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Horn Book
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

In 1966, a "trusted keeper [of stories]" (identified in the back matter as the library at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City) suffered a terrible fire, which destroyed thousands of books and other items, many not found elsewhere -- including books and ritual objects that had been rescued from the Nazis. Books that didn't burn were waterlogged and becoming more damaged by the minute. But through the help and persistence of the surrounding community, all was not lost. Idea after idea was proposed, but the ultimate solution was a simple yet elegant one that saved 170,000 volumes: layering paper towels between the pages of each sodden book. This story focuses equally on the effort that brought a community together, on the importance of libraries as repositories of stories, and on the books themselves as representatives of history and culture. Evocative illustrations combine painting and collage, including words in multiple languages, with occasional references to specific titles and others to language and content more generally. The narrative ends with the resonant refrain "our stories were not consumed." Back matter includes information about the Jewish Theological Seminary Library, a brief bibliography, and period photographs of the fire and its aftermath. An author's note provides additional historical context and draws contemporary connections between the fire, the importance of books, and the divisiveness of our current society. (c) Copyright 2025. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.