Pride of Baghdad

Editorial review from Amazon.com From School Library Journal
Grade 9 Up—A heartbreaking look at what it's like to live in a war zone. Inspired by true events, this story tells of four lions that escape from the Baghdad Zoo during a bombing raid in 2003 and encounter other animals that offer unique perspectives, such as a tortoise that survived World War I. They begin to question the nature of freedom. Can it be achieved without being earned? What is its price? What do the lions owe the zookeepers who took care of them at the cost of keeping them in captivity? Where should they go? What should they eat? The four lions soon realize that a desert city is nothing like the grassy savannas of their memories. Their experiences mirror those of the Iraqi citizens displaced by the conflict. The book succeeds as a graphic novel and as an account of the current crisis. Henrichon's full palette emphasizes browns and grays that evoke the sands of the country, while his long brushstrokes and careful attention to detail reflect the precise and minimalist dialogue that Vaughan uses. An allegorical tale with compelling and believable characters, Baghdad makes it clear that without self-determination, there can be no freedom—Erin Dennington, Chantilly Regional Library, Fairfax, VA
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This book is visually stunning, and mature. It has seens of rape and sex in it. Still, I believe that it has some poignant arguments. To see the conflict from the eyes of animals that were involved in it, helps to humanize the cost of war in a different way... To be honest, I don't think there are easy answers in this book. I also caution that the book is written by Westerners. Still, it is powerful and full of discussion opportunities. It is an easy read, even if it can be a little harder to interpret. That is what would make it interesting to a young adult reader.