In her new children’s book, *Inanna and Enki: About the World’s First Library*, Evelin Yacoub Gazrawi takes the youngest readers to King Ashurbanipal’s Nineveh and the world of clay tablets. The book stems from a void she herself has carried with her since childhood—the lack of stories that gave Assyrian history its due. “I wanted to create something that I myself would have wanted to find on a bookshelf as a child,” she tells Huyada.
Evelin Yacoub Gazrawi was born and raised in Sweden. Her interest in Assyrian cultural heritage has followed her throughout her life—even as a high school student, she wrote her senior research project on Assyrian children’s literature. She has never really let go of the question she asked herself back then: Why are there so few simple, accessible children’s books about our history and our origins?
As a teacher of Swedish and English, she has seen what recognition can do for children. That insight, combined with her role as a parent, ultimately served as the inspiration for the book.
“As a child and later as a parent, I missed simple, accessible stories for children that gave space to our history and our origins,” she says.
Two siblings as guides through the story
In the book, we meet the siblings Inanna and Enki, who are sitting in their grandfather’s garden listening to his stories—this time about King Ashurbanipal, ancient Nineveh, and the world’s first library. The names are not a random choice but are taken directly from Assyrian mythology.
“I wanted the names to have a connection to Mesopotamia right from the start,” Evelin explains. “My book doesn’t explain the meaning of the names, but perhaps it will spark the children’s curiosity to find out what they mean and where they come from.”
By making two children the main characters of the story, she also wanted to provide a point of entry for the reader.
– I enjoyed letting the children become part of the story. Through the siblings, the reader can discover the story alongside them, ask questions, and be curious.
Why a picture book, specifically?
Evelin is convinced that a love of reading and cultural identity are established early on, and that the format plays a role in what resonates with readers.
– If we want children to develop an interest in their cultural heritage, we also need to talk about it in a way that’s accessible and engaging. I wanted to spark that initial feeling of: “Wow, this is part of my history. I want to know more.”
She believes that a picture book can do something that a nonfiction book for adults cannot—engage a child without requiring any prior knowledge.
– Children don’t need to know historical terms. They can engage with the story through pictures, characters, and their imagination. For an Assyrian child, it can be meaningful to see their cultural heritage represented in a book. It conveys an important message: my history belongs here, too.
At the same time, she emphasizes that the book is not written solely for Assyrian children.
– I hope that other children will also be able to discover a story they may never have encountered before.
She recounts an occasion when she asked her high school students if they knew anything about the world's first library.
– It got completely quiet. I had to spend 15 minutes of the class going over the story, since they had no idea what it was about.
The Balance Between Fact and Fiction
According to Evelin, condensing the vast history of Mesopotamia and Assyria into something a three-year-old can understand has been one of the biggest challenges of the project.
– The book is not intended to be a history book in the traditional sense. It is partly fictional and is meant to serve as a first introduction to history. I have selected specific topics that children can understand and find fascinating: clay tablets, cuneiform, Nineveh, and Ashurbanipal’s library.
"The goal isn't for the child to know everything after reading it once," she says, "but to spark questions—what was Nineveh, how did people write on clay tablets, who was Ashurbanipal? Not everything is in the book, either."
– It's up to the parents to figure that out together with their children.
This educational ambition goes hand in hand with a refusal to oversimplify.
– I want to be historically accurate, but I don’t want the child to feel like they’re reading a textbook. It’s also been important to me not to underestimate children. Just because the target audience is young doesn’t mean we have to simplify everything. We can introduce difficult and exciting topics in a simple way.
Pride and a Bridge Between Two Worlds
For Evelin, the book is as much about emotion as it is about facts. She wants Ashurbanipal’s library to give Assyrian children in the diaspora something to be proud of.
– Pride doesn't have to be about saying that one thing is better than another. It can be about feeling that it's a part of who you are.
She also sees a gap that many children in the diaspora struggle with—the disconnect between the history they encounter at home and the history they encounter in school.
– For children growing up in the diaspora, there can sometimes be a great distance between the two. I want to try to build a bridge between them.
Why Swedish—and what she hopes will come next
Evelin explains that writing the book in Swedish was a conscious choice rather than a given.
– I wrote it in Swedish because that’s the language many Assyrian children in Sweden encounter most often in their daily lives and at school. I wanted the book to be accessible to children who may not yet be able to read in Assyrian.
At the same time, she makes it clear that this does not settle the language issue.
– We mustn’t forget that language is an important part of our cultural heritage, and I think we should speak Assyrian with our children. My hope is that one day this book will be available in more languages.
At the same time, the choice of Swedish opens the book up to a wider readership—something Evelin sees as an equally important part of the goal.
– I don’t want Assyrian history to be confined solely to the Assyrian community. Our history is part of everyone’s history. If a Swedish child reads the book and hears about Nineveh, cuneiform, or Ashurbanipal for the first time and becomes curious, then the book has already accomplished something important.
A Conversation at the Kitchen Table
If you ask Evelin what she really hopes a parent and a child will take away from reading the book, the answer is simple: curiosity.
– Maybe the conversation starts with the book and then continues at the kitchen table. Maybe the child will ask what a clay tablet is or why people wrote in cuneiform. That’s exactly what I want to achieve. I also hope that Assyrian parents feel they’ve gained another tool for talking to their children about their history and heritage.
The book is written for everyone, but it grew out of a very personal need.
– It was born out of a need I myself experienced as a child and later as an Assyrian parent. My children have been a bit spoiled, after all—I’ve told them my stories about Assyrian history as they were growing up. I wanted to create a book that an Assyrian family could relate to and be proud of, but that is at the same time completely open to all other children and families.
And Inanna and Enki's journey isn't necessarily over.
– I definitely see the possibility of them continuing to discover history alongside the reader. There is so much to tell about Mesopotamia and Assyrian history. This first book is about the world’s first library, but hopefully it will be the beginning of many more stories. I already have an idea!
“We need to give our children stories to grow up with”
Finally, Evelin addresses Huyada’s readers directly with a hope that extends beyond her own book.
– I hope this book can contribute to something greater than just a single story. I hope we start creating more books for our children—books of all kinds where they can engage with their language, their history, and their cultural heritage. We need to give our children stories to grow up with.
"That," she says, "is exactly what she herself missed growing up."
– A book that made me feel that my story was worth telling, too.
"Inanna and Enki – About the World's First Library" is published by Lava Förlag and is available for purchase at Adlibris, among other places.
