Day of Ahmed's Secret

by Florence Parry Heide

Other authorsTed Lewin (Illustrator), Judith Heide Gilliland

Paperback, 1995

Description

A young Egyptian boy describes the city of Cairo as he goes about his daily work and waits for the evening to share a special surprise with his family.

Status

Available

Call number

813.54

Genres

Children's Books

Collection

Servetus

Publication

HarperCollins (1995), Edition: 1st Mulberry ed, Paperback, 32 pages

User reviews

LibraryThing member CaseyRae2008

This book is about a little boy in India and the work he does each day in the city and what he thinks of city. Throughout the whole story he has a secret that he can't wait to share at the end of the day when he returns home after work. At the end you find out that his secret is that he has learned

to write his name which is kind of funny because he was out working all day and then is so excited about being able to write his name it makes me think how old is this kid and it tells you alot about other countries ways.

I liked this book!

could read this book if a new kid from india moves to your school or maybe just discuss the differences of India cultures from American cultures.

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LibraryThing member JDHofmeyer

This beautifully illustrated picture book follows a day in the life of a hard working young boy in Cairo. As he delivers bottles of butane gas with his donkey cart he encounters many different people and scenes from the city. I use this lovely book as a supplement to a study of Egypt for young

children.

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LibraryThing member Aridy

Ahmed delivers fuel to customers all over his city, Cairo. Though out his busy, noisy day, all that he can think about is the secret that he cannot wait to share with his family once his day is done.

LibraryThing member KatiePriddle

Summary:
This book is about a young boy named Ahmed. He has a daily duty of delivering gas for cooking to customers all around Cairo. On this day, he absolutely can’t wait to get home to his parents, because he has a big secret to tell him. When it is finally time to go home, he shows his parent

that he has learned to write his name. I really enjoyed this book. It shows that patience is a necessity in life and most things are well worth the wait.

Personal Reaction:
I did not enjoy this book. The author doesn’t describe Ahmed how I would have hoped. During the story he just feels really lonely. I didn’t get a sense of who Ahmed was. The book described the scene more than the character.

Classroom Extension Ideas:
1. This could begin a lesson on Egypt. We would discuss the history of the pyramids, Pharaohs, the Sphinx, and other features of Egypt.
2. This could begin a unit on cultures. Since Egypt is said to be a Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, and North African country, we could start learning about the diversities between the three.

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LibraryThing member j-plant

In my opinion, this is a culturally informative book that gives a strong snapshot into modern Egyptian (Middle Eastern) culture, while providing an entertaining, engaging storyline that is further enhanced with strong illustrations. The language used by the author is descriptive and informative; it

walks the reader through an average day in Ahmed's life, allowing the reader to accompany Ahmed as he delivers cooking fuel to an old woman, purchases supplies from the market, and takes time out of his busy day to reflect on the history and heritage of his people, his land, and his culture. The story is told from Ahmed's perspective; he is walking the reader through a day that is average except for one thing, he has an incredible secret that he is holding on to. The illustrations also add significantly to the story, and serves to show things as Ahmed sees them. Lastly, the big idea is to attempt to show the fact that two people can be from different places, but still live a similar life that we are all familiar with. This book shows the humanity behind the cultural identity.

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LibraryThing member matthewbloome

This is a good story of another culture, though there is a degree of child labor that is a bit hard to take. It's a good story all the same though.

LibraryThing member lvalido

Using the word secret in the title will keep a child interested as they wait to find out what it is. While waiting, the author introduces us to the life and experiences of a child from Egypt. It is a great story that can be used to compare cultures and also understanding the importance of being

able to write one's name. Times and events may change, but a name is forever.

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LibraryThing member ElissaBroadaway

Summary: Ahmed is a little boy living in Cairo, Egypt. Every day is pretty much the same, except for today. Today he has a secret! But he can’t tell anyone his secret until he gets home. So he goes around the city, delivering his oil to his customers. All day he listens to the sounds and sees the

sights and colors of the city. After his work is done, he goes home to his family. Excitedly he tells them his secret, holding up a piece of paper, saying “I can write my name!”
Personal Reaction: I think this story is a good example of a multicultural book. I liked that while the author didn’t specifically focus on the culture in Cairo, we still saw the daily life of someone who lives there. And the fact that it’s focused on a little boy who is working allows kids to see even more how different this culture and ours is.
Classroom Extension:
1. Have students do a comparison / contrast of their lives in America with what they noticed in the book. Do some as a class as an example, then individually. Then, have students talk about these comparisons in a paper, researching anything they are not sure about. Allow access to the library to research Cairo.
2. Look at the traditional dishes of Egypt. Ahmed has rice and beans, but what else are there? Have an international food week, and each day bring in something from a different country. One day, bring in a meal from Egypt and read this book. Ask kids what foods they saw or heard read to them.

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LibraryThing member kzilinskas

A multiculturalism book. Ahmed is a little boy that lives in a foreign town. Talks about sounds of the city and how his cart and he contribute to his city. Delivers for families. Book about growing up. Appreciating your surroundings. Ahmed learned how to write his name, which is the secret he can't

wait to share with his family. Ahmed is so excited to share, identity established. His errands everyday were to deliver gas jugs. Town used gas versus electricity.

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LibraryThing member cscapp1

In my opinion, this book was very well done and a great snapshot in the life of a child who lives in Cairo, Egypt. It is about a young boy how has to deliver propane to peoples houses across the city as a job. As one can imagine, it is a very tiring job and but one that lets you meet and interact

with may people. The story is in first person as Ahmed takes you through his daily routine and shares with you the history and traditions of Egyptians. The language in the book is very descriptive and the illustrations help set a tone in the book. The busy streets filled with people in traditional attire help the reader understand what his world is like. Many people who read this book probably have never been to Cairo so the vivid watercolors give the illustrations also add significantly to the story, and serves to show things as Ahmed sees them. A theme in this book is traditions. The book, in detail, conveys what being a working child is like. This may not be tradition in the United States but, in other countries an impoverished family needs to have the children work instead of going to school. This theme carries thought to the very last page where the reader finds out that Ahmed’s “secret” is his ability to write his own name which would shock many people.

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LibraryThing member Sluper1

This book will transport you to the city of Cairo. I believe is a great way to introduce an alien culture. Ahmed is a young boy that is making his daily rounds on a donkey cart. He delivers canister of gas door to door. The city is presented through his eyes, the text and illustrations work

together in harmony to produce a sense of place so viviv that you can hear what he is telling in the story. The prose is continuos and makes it easy to read. The illustrations are very luminous and project what the narrator (Ahmed) is telling us. These illustrations capture every detail of Cairo. I would definitely use and recommend this book to my students.

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LibraryThing member kbarry9

I liked this book because the author kept you on the edge of your seat because you just wanted to know what the secret was already. I disliked that the author focused way too much on the place and setting, rather than the actual content of what was going to happen, I mean the secret was on the last

page, and that was it. It took a long time for the story to develop, but after a while it was alright. I did like all of the setting descriptions though, because it made me think as to where they were, because it did not just explicitly state it. This made the book much more interesting for me.

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LibraryThing member reassist

A young Egyptian boy describes the city of Cairo as he goes about his daily work and waits for the evening to share a special surprise with his family.

LibraryThing member riselibrary_CSUC

This book is an excellent choice for the study of multicultural issues in elementary school. Ahmed is a boy who lives in Cairo, Egypt and he uses a donkey cart to deliver cans of fuel. He is proud of the fact that he can handle the donkey by himself and carry the cans up the stairs unaided. The

story is a chronology of one of his days delivering his goods. He recites the people he sees every day as well as the sights and sounds of the streets of Cairo. The time setting appears to be in the 1950's or 1960's. There are cars on the streets and they appear to be of that age. Ahmed and his father also briefly discuss the desert and the Nile River, the two geographical features that make Egypt what it is. This day is also a bit special for Ahmed, for when the day is done, he reveals the exciting news that he has been saving for his family, the fact that he can write his name. Ahmed is simultaneously an ordinary and extraordinary Arab boy, just like all other boys around the world. Children of other cultures will learn much from reading about him.

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