Digging for Words: Jose Alberto Gutierrez and the Library He Built

By Angela Burke Kunkel

A gorgeous and inspiring picture book based on the life of Jos Alberto Guti rrez, a garbage collector in Bogot , Colombia who started a library with a single discarded book found on his route.

In the city of Bogata, in the barrio of La Nueva Gloria, there live two Joses. One is a boy who dreams of Saturdays-- that's the day he gets to visit Paradise, the library. The second Jose is a garbage collector. From dusk until dawn, he scans the sidewalks as he drives, squinting in the dim light, searching household trash for hidden treasure . . . books Some are stacked in neat piles, as if waiting for Jos ́. Others take a bit more digging. Ever since he found his first book, Anna Karenina, years earlier, he's been collecting books--thick ones and thin ones, worn ones and almost new ones-- to add to the collection in his home. And on Saturdays, kids like little Jose run to the steps of Paradise to discover a world filled with books and wonder.

With an evocative text by a debut author, and rich, stunning illustrations from an up-and-coming Colombian illustrator, here is a celebration of perseverance, community, and the power of books.

• Format: Library Binding
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0GN64DM8H
• ISBN13: 9798855071825
• Release Date: September 2020
• Publisher: Bound to Stay Bound Books
• Length: 33 Pages
• Age Range: 4 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 3