He has an Indian servant ‘Chandra’ whom his sister mimics. A short glossary of Arabic words is provided at the book's conclusion.Adam and his family are from Australia and live in a compound with other foreigners who work in a present day fictional city of Abudai in the Middle East. The book allows young readers to be introduced to a climate, habitat, and culture very different from their own.
Ali, a boy on the brink of manhood, must spend time alone, facing fears of abandonment and dangerous desert creatures. London's picture book is a sort of North African vision quest. The next morning, Ali must make an important decision: leave with Abdul and Youssef who are taking their goats to summer pastures, or wait alone for his father at the small oasis.
That evening Adul regales Ali with peppermint tea and stories of Berber warriors, known for their shaved heads and their single long locks of hair that allow Allah to pull them to heaven when the time comes. He is befriended by an elderly Berber, Abdul, and his young grandson Youssef, who invite him to spend the night at their small desert oasis. A sandstorm blows up and Ali, atop his camel Jabad, is separated from his father. I would say this is usable, but only with guidance.Īli, the young son of a Saharan camel herder, is accompanying his father on his first journey to the Moroccan market town of Rissani. Two other things troubled me: why on earth in an area known for abrupt, sudden sandstorms was there not food and water on the child's camel? Also, there are absolutely no women present or even mentioned in the text. The illustrations are gorgeous, capturing the colors of the desert extremely well and practically glowing off the page. Again, there are gun safety issues present here, though culturally this is entirely within the bounds of normalcy for the area the story takes place. He has no idea how to shoot it prior to this, and is actually blown off his feet by the first shot (he shoots it repeatedly after he is left alone in the desert, so there is no supervision present). Ali appears to be about eight years old in this, and he is given a gun to signal his father by a Berber tribesman. More troubling, though, is the use of the gun. For example, several different Muslim traditions are mentioned. For that reason, a lot of the cultural differences would need careful explanation to any children who would read the book. That stated, it's worth noting this story does not take place in the Middle East but in Morocco, which is North Africa. Ali is an interesting and brave character, and his adventure being separated from his father during a sandstorm is well told and exciting.
This is a good, though slightly problematic, text for the exercise I have in mind.
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