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.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |