Status
Available
Collection
Publication
Groundwood Books (2013), 32 pages
Description
Inspired by the retelling of a traditional Muslim hadith, an account of the words or actions of the Prophet, which the author first heard in Sri Lanka, this is an unforgettable story about empathy.
Local notes
Library Media Connection, 04/30/2014
This story is the retelling of a traditional Muslim hadith. The story is about a camel and his abusive owner who is more interested in using the camel to transport goods across the desert for his own profit. The story is a tale of the owner’s realization that animals should be treated with respect and empathy. The illustrations give the reader a blurred image of the hot, dry desert, allowing the imagination to run wild with imagery. There is an afterword that explains the origin of the story and how the author came to know it. This book is much more a life lesson than a “religious” lesson and will be appropriate and applicable in teaching empathy in elementary or middle school. The reader will feel the camel’s thirst and exhaustion and will gain a new empathy for animals after reading this amazing story. Jennifer Welch, Librarian, Thomas Crossroads Elementary School, Sharpsburg, Georgia. RECOMMENDED
This story is the retelling of a traditional Muslim hadith. The story is about a camel and his abusive owner who is more interested in using the camel to transport goods across the desert for his own profit. The story is a tale of the owner’s realization that animals should be treated with respect and empathy. The illustrations give the reader a blurred image of the hot, dry desert, allowing the imagination to run wild with imagery. There is an afterword that explains the origin of the story and how the author came to know it. This book is much more a life lesson than a “religious” lesson and will be appropriate and applicable in teaching empathy in elementary or middle school. The reader will feel the camel’s thirst and exhaustion and will gain a new empathy for animals after reading this amazing story. Jennifer Welch, Librarian, Thomas Crossroads Elementary School, Sharpsburg, Georgia. RECOMMENDED
Awards
Middle East Book Award (Honorable Mention — Picture Book — 2014)