A fun, warm, and friendly tale that’s sure to delight and inspire youngsters to learn more about the Arab world.
A debut illustrated children’s book focuses on two siblings’ magical adventures in Syria.
Laila wants nothing more than to be a great explorer like her grandfather Ibn Battuta. Her little brother, Ahmed, is more of a homebody who gets nervous any time he has to go anywhere. One day when their mother is out, Laila decides that she is going to hunt for her grandfather’s travel journal, which he called Rihla. With Ahmed’s help, she finds the journal and discovers a poetic clue, urging the two children to embark on a journey. Slowly, the book begins to grow in size, revealing itself as a magic portal. Laila and Ahmed follow their grandfather’s clues through Syria, where they travel on camelback to a castle built by the Crusaders, a market in Aleppo, an ancient water wheel, the oasis of Palmyra, the Church of St. Sergius, and finally to the country’s capital city of Damascus. As they move from place to place, they are greeted by old friends of their grandfather’s and treated to the many enchanting sights, sounds, and tastes of Syria. Even timid Ahmed comes out of his shell, eager to unearth each clue on the route their clever grandfather laid out for them. The lively book features rich, colorful paintings by debut illustrator Kassem depicting the two children as they trek from one vivid locale to the next. Alloo’s sweet story will instill in young readers a sense of wonder and appreciation for the history and grandeur of Syria. Though there are many images, the narrative is wordy and would be best read with a parent or guardian who can help guide a curious child. While there is no in-depth history provided, there are enough insights into Syria’s past to pique readers’ interest and encourage further research. This work would be a superb supplement to history lessons covering the Middle East
A fun, warm, and friendly tale that’s sure to delight and inspire youngsters to learn more about the Arab world.Pub Date: July 3, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-692-11094-2
Page Count: 60
Publisher: Beauty Beneath the Rubble
Review Posted Online: April 25, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2019
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An absorbing fantasy centered on a resilient female protagonist facing growth, change, and self-empowerment.
In Florence’s middle-grade fantasy novel, a young girl’s heart is tested in the face of an evil, spreading Darkness.
Eleven-year-old Lydia, “freckle-cheeked and round-eyed, with hair the color of pine bark and fair skin,” is struggling with the knowledge that she has reached the age to apprentice as an herbalist. Lydia is reluctant to leave her beloved, magical Mulberry Glen and her cozy Housetree in the woods—she’ll miss Garder, the Glen’s respected philosopher; her fairy guardian Pit; her human friend Livy; and even the mischievous part-elf, part-imp, part-human twins Zale and Zamilla. But the twins go missing after hearing of a soul-sapping Darkness that has swallowed a forest and is creeping into minds and engulfing entire towns. They have secretly left to find a rare fruit that, it is said, will stop the Darkness if thrown into the heart of the mountain that rises out of the lethal forest. Lydia follows, determined to find the twins before they, too, fall victim to the Darkness. During her journey, accompanied by new friends, she gradually realizes that she herself has a dangerous role to play in the quest to stop the Darkness. In this well-crafted fantasy, Florence skillfully equates the physical manifestation of Darkness with the feelings of insecurity and powerlessness that Lydia first struggles with when thinking of leaving the Glen. Such negative thoughts grow more intrusive the closer she and her friends come to the Darkness—and to Lydia’s ultimate, powerfully rendered test of character, which leads to a satisfyingly realistic, not quite happily-ever-after ending. Highlights include a delightfully haunting, reality-shifting library and a deft sprinkling of Latin throughout the text; Pit’s pet name for Lydia is mea flosculus (“my little flower”). Fine-lined ink drawings introducing each chapter add a pleasing visual element to this well-grounded fairy tale.
An absorbing fantasy centered on a resilient female protagonist facing growth, change, and self-empowerment.Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9781956393095
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Waxwing Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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