Thursday, July 31, 2008
Picture Book Review Discussion E: Portrayal of Palestinian / Mideastern Americans
Each member of the group must bring a picture book to share that will add to the conversation on the issues related to the article(s) to be discussed. Please post your review of your book in class. Indicate complete bibliographic information (title, date, author, publisher, genre) Give a brief, but engaging summary, provide an anlysis of the book as it relates to the discussion topic and as a piece of quality children's literature. Discuss the audience for whom it is attended and how it lends itself to the classroom.
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Does My Head Look Big In This
Randa Abdel-Fattah
ISBN10: 043992233X
Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks; Reprint edition (August 1, 2008)
Reading level: Young Adult
This is a young adult story about a normal Muslim girl in a non-Muslim country (Australia) who is not escaping oppression by a fundamentalist government/family or anything like that. Amal is just a normal teenage girl, albeit a Muslim one. She has crushes on boys, she likes to go shopping, she giggles with her friends, and she sometimes argues with her parents or feuds with classmates. In Does My Head Look Big in This, is written by Australian and Muslim writer, Randa Abdel-Fatthah. The main character, Amal, a typical 11th grade girl, is struggling with a very personal decision. Being a Muslim of strong faith and recently transferred to a very white-bread prep school. Amal wants to wear her hajib head covering all the time. No, her parents are not forcing her, in fact, they are almost wary of her doing so, this is completely Amal's choice. When she does decide to go forth with her plan to wear the hajib everywhere, except in the company of family, she knows she is setting herself up for prejudice. The headmaster at her private school is not too keen on Amal disrupting the uniform system with the hajib. Coupled with Tia, a snotty girl in Amal's class is set on making her feel outcast, and Adam, the one boy Amal has had a crush on, seems to reciprocate the admiration, but also is somewhat uncomfortable with the whole religion thing.
Amal is subjected to racism and discrimination by kids whose experience with Muslims has largely been confined to what they see in the media. The reactions she faces at home are not all positive, either, but Amal has made a choice. To her, it is a personal, religious decision, to show her devotion to God; it's not about being oppressed as some of her classmates seem to think, or making any sort of statement. Being a Muslim is a part of who Amal is.
Amal stands by the decision she made to wear her faith, quite literally, on her body. She stands up to people that scorn her and when upset, only lets it show to her closest friends and family. This is an incredibly powerful book that is perfect for teens, no matter what they believe in terms of religion. The strength of Amal is beautiful and she is a great role model for teenage girls, struggling to stand up for themselves in a world of peer pressure and designer clothing trends. Amal is a strong female role model, who possesses inner strength. She could be looked up to be her young adult female readers as they are also coming of age. Without heavy preaching, the issues of faith and culture are part of the story, from fasting at Ramadan to refusing sex before marriage. More than the usual story of the immigrant teen's conflict with her traditional parents, the funny, touching contemporary narrative will grab teens everywhere.
Randa Abdel-Fattah's book is very well-written, and I loved Amal's voice. The characters in this book (particularly Amal) were great. The main characters feel similarly different from their peers, are both Australian, and even have sort of similar voices. Comedy is a great method to use when dealing with those in marginalized groups. I do not feel as if the author made this book into a joke at all; however, she did allow readers to become interested and engaged in it because of the comedy used. Whenever a person can smile or laugh, tension is reduced. Above all, this novel is inspiring, encouraging, and interesting. If you are a boy, girl, teenager, man, woman, Muslim, Christian, Jehovah Witness, American, Australian, or Arab, you will truly enjoy this book. In other words, all people will enjoy Does My Head Look Big in This?
An Australian-born-Muslim-Palestinian-Egyptian, Randa Abdel-Fattah based her first novel, Does My Head Look Big in This? on her own experiences. The story is about an Australian Muslim teenage girl who decides to wear the hajib, or headscarf, full time and the cultural ramifications that follow. Randa, herself, was a teen when she decided to wear the hajib full-time. "I wrote Does My Head Look Big in This? because I wanted to allow readers to step into the world of an average Muslim teenage girl born in the West," says Randa. "I wanted to allow readers to identify with her experiences and journey, and realize she is not a walking headline or stereotype." Randa Abdel-Fattah is a lawyer and lives in Sydney, Australia with her family.
One Green Apple
Written by Eve Bunting & illustrated by Ted Lewin
Clarion Books (2006)
ISBN:0618434771.
“ ‘App-ell,’ I say.
Anna claps. I smile and smile and smile. It is my first outside-myself word. There will be more.”
Today, Farrah’s day ends like this, on a happy note after making two friends during the apple orchard outing and saying her first English word out loud. But she is a young Arab Muslim immigrant, new to America, feeling like an outsider. She has been aware of the “cruel smiles” from her classmates. While she does not yet understand English, she does understand that when her country is mentioned, it is not with kindness. And though she wears jeans like the others, she is the only student who wears a head wrap, a dupatta. When students are let off the hay wagon to pick an apple from a tree, Farrah is drawn to the tree that is “shorter than the others, that does not seem to belong…like me.” From it, she picks a small green apple, unlike the large ripe red apples others have selected, and holds it with affection. In the end, Farrah’s green apple mixes with the red ones in the juicing machine, creating a “diverse” blend of different apple tastes. Everyone likes it.
Although Eve Bunting, the author of One Green Apple, is not of Arab descent, she writes with great understanding of the immigrant experience. While certain details – the duppata, mentions of anti-Arab sentiment, for instance – are specific to the Arab American immigrant, this could be a story of any young immigrant feeling out of place and lonely in foreign surroundings. With over 250 titles, Eve Bunting has often written on the topic of diversity, focusing on current social issues. Her credentials include numerous book awards: Golden Kite Award, Southern California council on Literature for Children and Young People Award, PEN Los Angeles Center Literacy Award for Special Achievement in Children’s Literature, Southern California council on Literature for Children and Young People Award Excellence is a Series Award, and her most cherished award, Heal the World award from a school. The illustrator, Ted Lewin, also brings to this project impressive credentials, including many awards for his realistic and evocative watercolors. His work, he says, has been inspired by his extensive world travels. Many of his artwork can be found in multicultural picture books. In One Green Apple, Lewin depicts the Arab character with great authenticity while avoiding stereotypical features. The images capture Farrah’s isolation and shyness in the beginning, and her joy at feeling included toward the end of the story.
Bunting published One Green Apple after 9/11/2001; therefore, she could not ignore the repercussions 9/11 might have on a young Arab immigrant new to America. I found that Bunting addresses this issue directly and with sensitivity. She mentions the “cruel smiles” from young classmates, and their unkind words regarding the Arab culture. Then Bunting offers Farrah’s father’s honest, yet hopeful, explanation: “Our home country and our new one have had difficulties…but it will be good for us here in time.” Bunting realizes that even young school children are susceptible to dangerous prejudices. For the Arab American child, this can be especially damaging given our recent history. I think Bunting’s One Green Apple is the type of simple yet powerful story that can help enlighten children. In my search for picture books dealing with Arab American issues, I discovered that very few post-9/11 children’s books on the current Arab American experience. It is critical that more authors of children’s books join Bunting in this effort, for strong anti-Arab sentiment among youngsters does exist in America. Wingfield and Karaman (2001) share a true anecdote: “After the September 11 attacks, a five-year-old girl in San Francisco came home from school and asked her father, ‘What does it mean, terrorist? The other kids called me a terrorist.’ ” When recently interviewed, Arab American students reported that “the other students didn't even know who Arabs were until 9/11 and suddenly they thought all of us were terrorists” (Wingfield & Karaman, 2001).
“By introducing this literature in all classrooms, regardless of whether Arab students are part of the classroom or not, educators validate the importance of this cultural group within society, offer an opportunity for non-Arab students to be introduced to a new culture, prevent stereotypes from forming, and help children develop a broader and deeper understanding of peoples of the world” (Al-Hazza & Bucher, 2008). Given the recent history and current conflict between the United States and the Arab world, it is especially important now for the teachers to enlighten students through Arab American literature. A recent article in The Reading Teacher offers a wealth of information on this topic to assist teachers in search of appropriate texts. For instance, two awards can help guide teachers: the Middle East Book Award and the Arab American National Museum Book Award (www.arabamericanmuseum.org). These awards honor books that “contribute to an authentic portrayal and understanding of the people, places, and cultures of the Middle East” (Al-Hazza & Bucher, 2008). Teachers can also access Notable Books for a Global Society, K–12 (www.csulb.edu/org/childrens-lit/proj/nbgs/intro-nbgs.html) as a resource.
The authors also outline some useful instructional strategies, such as the K-W-L chart “to help students identify what they already know about Arabs and to help them gain more information” (Al-Hazza & Bucher, 2008). They recommend specific titles, including One Green Apple. With middle school students, I could start a unit with a picture book like One Green Apple to begin the dialogue. I would want to use mostly post-9/11 texts to focus on current issues. This might include nonfiction, like Lebanon in the News: Past, Present, and Future by Aretha David (2006), Coming to America: A Muslim family’s story by B. Wolf (2003) and Kuwait by Susan Korman (2003), or fiction such as Figs and Fate: Stories about growing up in the Arab world today by E. Marston (2005) and The Shadows of Ghadames (2004) by J. Stolz.
References
Al-Hazza, T. & Bucher, K. (2008). Building Arab Americans' Cultural Identity and Acceptance With Children's Literature. The Reading Teacher, 62(3).
Bunting, E. & Lewin, T. (2006). One Green Apple. New York: Clarion Books. ISBN:0618434771.
David, A. (2006). Lebanon in the News: Past, Present, and Future. New Jersey: Enslow Publishers. ISBN: 9781598450231.
Korman, S. (2003). Kuwait. New York: Chelsea House Publications. ISBN: 079106512X.
Marston, E. (2005). Figs and fate: Stories about growing up in the Arab world today. New York: George Braziller.
Stolz, J. (2004). The Shadows of Ghadames. New York: Delacorte.
Wingfield, M. & Karaman, B. (1995). Arab Stereotypes and American Educators. Social Studies and the Young Learner, 7(4). (Revised 2001).
Wolf, B. (2003). Coming to America: A Muslim family’s story. New York: Lee & Low.
My Name is Bilal
Asma Mobin-Uddin
Mobin-Uddin, A. (2005). My Name is Bilal. Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mills Press.
ISBN: 1590781759
Genre: Fiction Picture Book (Didactic)
Grades 1-8
It is often difficult to transfer to a new school especially when your name and family’s customs appear different from those around you. Bilal observes his sister being taunted due to her dupatta, head covering, and decides it might be easier to pretend to be someone else to fit in with the students at his new school. With the help of his teacher, a family friend, he soon discovers the importance of his given name and learns that he should be proud of his Muslim religion and his heritage even though both may be different than most of the students at his new school. He quickly learns to stand up for his sister and offer a hand of friendship to others, even to those who have been unkind. Bilal finds that he can change the opinion of others by demonstrating respect and kindness. He also learns that he is not alone at school or in his beliefs.
Dr. Asma Mobin-Uddin, the author, was born in the United States of America and is a Muslim-American of Pakistani decent. She wrote this book because she had difficulty finding books about the Muslim-American experience that she could read to her own children. According to Mobin-Uddin, “I wanted to introduce accurate books about the Muslim-American experience to the general American community, and I wanted to write books that Muslim-American kids would see themselves in” (Smith, 2005). She is active in her local Muslim community. She was vice president of the Ohio chapter of a national Muslim advocacy group and served on the executive committee of her Islamic Center. The fact that Mobin-Uddin lives in the United States and is a Muslim-American gives her the credibility to write a fictional picture book about the topic of the Muslim-American experience. This book was awarded the Paterson Prize for Books for Young People.
The illustrator, Barbara Kiwak, is a fine artist from Maryland. The simple, realistic illustrations are done in watercolor. The illustrator depicts a diverse group of students in an intermediate or middle school setting in casual attire with the exception of the dupatta, head covering, worn by Ayesha, the protagonist’s sister. Kiwak’s portrayal of Mecca, to complement the story of Bilal Ibn Rabah from about fourteen hundred years ago, is simplistic with a desert setting, a few palms and stone structures. She also includes a modern day mosque scene with a few bearded men with heads bowed in prayer wearing simple white head coverings. Kiwak is not Muslim, but was selected to illustrate the book by the publisher when an appropriate Muslim illustrator for the book was not found according to Mobin-Uddin in an interview conducted by Cynthia Leitich Smith. Kiwak did use photos and video clips supplied by Mobin-Uddin to ensure the dress of the people and landscape of Mecca were respectfully represented. In her interview (2005), Mobin-Ubbin shares a statement given by Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi, Chairman of the Fiqh Council of North America, approving Kiwak’s illustrations.
This story tends to be didactic. Two Muslim-American siblings, a preteen boy and girl, are a little nervous when they transfer to a new school. Ayesha is immediately taunted for wearing a head scarf and her brother, Bilal, embarrassed and frozen with fear pretends he does not know her and does not go to her aid. At first, Bilal, does not want anyone to know that he is Muslim. His teacher, also a Muslim, lets him borrow a book that tells the story of Bilal Ibn Rabah, the first person to give the Muslim call to prayer during the time of the Prophet Muhammad. This man stayed true to his beliefs even under tremendous torture. Bilal had never heard this story before. Learning about the inner strength of Bilal Ibn Rabah gave Bilal the strength to stand up for his sister and his Muslim faith. Later in the story, while he is playing a game of pick up basketball, he notices one of his sister’s tormentors, Scott, and invites him to play. The author has Bilal pass the ball to Scott which allows Scott to score a basket. Bilal demonstrates kindness toward Scott even though Scott had teased his sister. This depicts a Muslim character in a positive light as Bilal’s act demonstrates a respectful person capable of kindness and forgiveness. As Smith states in her blog, “With its realistic art and strong thematic development, My Name Is Bilal is recommended as a springboard for discussions about Muslim Americans and religious prejudice” (Smith, 2005). The author’s note includes a short description of the salat, a special prayer, and an English translation of the alhan, the call to prayer. It also provides a pronunciation key for the traditional Muslim greeting and response in Arabic.
We have a new character education program, SHINE, in our school to promote respect, responsibility and kindness. This book can be used as a teaching tool to help children understand a little more about Muslim people and their beliefs. It also allows children to empathize with people who are different, and learn how to stand up for their own individual differences and respect the differences of others. With so much going on in the news about the Middle East and Muslim people, it is important to discuss these issues with students so they can better understand some of their customs and beliefs, and also understand that Muslins have feelings and emotions similar to their own and they live in many places in our world including the United States of America. The following “Teaching Tolerance” website, http://www.tolerance.org/teach/current/event.jsp?cid=249, is a site for teachers to use to gain information regarding bias against Arab and Muslim Americans and provides teachers with links to classroom activities for use with students.
In addition to using this book as a catalyst for discussions regarding Muslim people and their culture, it can be used as part of a larger discussion with other books that deal with teasing and tolerance including: Eleanor Estes, The Hundred Dresses, Trudy Ludwig’s Just Kidding and My Secret Bully and Patricia Polacco’s, Trees of the Dancing Goats. The Hundred Dresses deals with the topic of teasing based on ethnic and socioeconomic issues, Just Kidding and My Secret Bully are didactic stories written to help children identify and gain control over verbal bulling by helping children understand how to deal with these situations and take positive action and Trees of the Dancing Goats demonstrates religious tolerance in a story of goodwill and friendship when a Jewish family helps Christian families celebrate Christmas during a scarlet fever epidemic.
References:
Mobin-Uddin, A. (2005). My Name is Bilal. Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mills Press.
ISBN: 1590781759.
Smith, C.L. (July 2005). Cynsations. Retrieved from http://cynthialeitichsmith.blogspot.com/2005/07/my-name-is-bilal-by-asma-mobin-uddin.html. December 6, 2008.
Henderson, K. (2006). Lugalbanda: The boy who got caught up in a war. MA:
Candlewick Press. ISBN:076362782-8
Prince Lugalbanda wants to go to war like his seven older brothers and joins them on their march through the Zaba Mountains to attack Aratta, a distant city. Along the way, the young prince falls ill and his brothers are forced to leave him behind in a cave. He recovers to find himself alone and without any way of making it back to his brothers. He befriends the Anzu bird by complimenting him and the bird awards Lugalbanda any wish. The prince wishes to run and never get tired, to stretch out his arms and never feel weak, to dance like the sunlight, leap like a flame, and dart like lightning so he can go wherever he wants to go. His wish is granted and he is able to find his brothers once again. The Anzu bird made Lugalbanda promise to tell no one and tells him where to find his brothers. Upon the prince’s return, his brothers are so happy to see him and wonder how he made it through the mountains that no man has survived alone. Prince Lugalbanda keeps his promise to the Anzu bird and makes up a story. He then volunteers to deliver a message to the goddess Inana from the king enlisting her help to defeat those at Aratta. The goddess expresses her distaste for destroying Aratta and passes a message to Lugalbanda to deliver to the king. He obeys and delivers artisans to the goddess. Lugalbanda grows up to be king and is said to be the father of Gilgamesh.
This was a very enjoyable folktale that I started to share with my students as we are just finishing the section on Sumer in Social Studies. However, when looking at it through a multicultural lens, I don’t see any authenticity when speaking of author or illustrator. Kathy Henderson is the author of other books but none on a multicultural level. As in blogs before, I have asked the question of does it matter if the author is not an insider to a culture if the text is non-fiction or, in this case, a folk tale? Ms. Henderson is recreating a story that was discovered on a tablet from Ancient Sumer. Can anyone be an expert in this area? Perhaps it would have been better told from someone of Middle Eastern descent as modern day Iraq is where ancient Sumer was first built. The same is true of the illustrator. Jane Ray is British and I don’t think she comes from Middle Eastern descent. This is a case where perhaps the illustrator should have been an insider in order to portray the culture accurately. On the book flap, Ms. Ray is quoted as having said … this is the first time I’ve really had to research a particular historical period for a book.” I can support her doing the research but would still have liked to see someone from Middle Eastern heritage illustrate the prince and his family.
Lugugalbanda was an actual king during the development of Sumer. According to Wikepedia (http://en.wikipedia.org), Lugalbanda was the father of Gilgamesh and was married to the goddess of the sun, Ninsun. The story of Lugalbanda is an actual myth from the time of the ancient Sumerians. This lends to the story’s authenticity but doesn’t add to the authors’.
Overall, it was an enjoyable story that I will share with my students. I just wonder if there is a more authentic type of folklore. This is what I want to bring into my class.
Ichikawa, S. (2006). My Father’s Shop. California: Kane/Miller Book. ISBN-13: 978-1-929132-99-7. Fiction.
My Father’s Shop is about a little boy who finds a hole in one of the carpets at his father’s shop. He pleads for his father to let him keep the carpet. His father agrees but makes the boy promise he will learn some foreign languages. The boy listens but is bored so ventures out into the market to show off his new carpet where he is followed by a rooster. As the rooster follows the little boy, the boy learns how to crow in different languages from the various tourists he encounters in his journey. In the end the father was happy that the boy leads the tourists back to his shop and the boy that he learned 5 different languages.
My Father’s Shop was written by Satomi Ichikawa who was born in Japan and later moved to Paris. She has written several critically acclaimed books for children. My Father’s Shop tells the story of a boy and his father from Morocco. The father owns a shop that sells carpets. The illustrations of the carpets are vivid and may be representative of the different cultures of the tourists in the story. It is difficult to determine whether the various cultures are accurately depicted in the illustrations because the characters appear similar. The author incorporates the various languages through text. What makes this text multicultural, are the various ethnicities represented.
As I read this story, The Arrival came to mind. While the story lines vary as The Arrival told the story of the immigrant and My Father’s Shops tells a much different story, there is a common theme of this melting pot in both story lines. In The Arrival, the characters are immigrants coming to a new unfamiliar land whereas as in My Father’s Shop the characters are tourists visiting a foreign land however both texts show a mixture of culture. Tan was able to bring culture to the reader through the powerful black and white graphics where as Ichikawa brought culture to the reader through vibrant and lively illustrations and text.
As I read this light and jovial story, I felt this would be a wonderful multicultural book to have in a classroom library. The illustrations are bright and vivid and would be a great story to use in a read aloud to students in the early primary years. The story content lends itself to whole group or small group discussions. For older students in the primary schools, this would be a great story to use when studying geograph
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