HABIBI

Nye, Naomi Shihab. 1999. HABIBI. New York: Simon Pulse.
ISBN-10: 0689825234

PLOT SUMMARY
Liyana is devastated when her father informs the family that they will be moving back to his homeland of Jerusalem. Her parents have always talked of this, but Liyana never thought it would actually happen. Having no other choice but to follow their father the family sells most of their possessions and travel half way around the world. Once in her new home Liyana is faced with relatives she has never meet, customs that do not allow her to be friends with boys and a language she does not know. Even though she is homesick for St. Louis she attempts to give her new home a chance by learning the language, getting to know her Sitti, and exploring the city. It is through this exploring that she meets a new friend Omer who happens to be Jewish. However, she never expected to have to deal with the political and religious issues in the country. Many of which affect her friends and family. Even with all these issues she is able to become a part of her new home.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Nye has done a wonderful job describing the landscape, customs and dress of Jerusalem. Her detailed description of the village outside the city ” The dusky green of olive trees planted in terraced rows up hillsides, walls of carefully stacked stone, old wells with real wooden buckets….” helps the reader to look past all the politics and violence that they may have seen on the news and realize what a beautiful place Jerusalem really is. Another cultural marker that Nye uses to help the reader is her description of custom and dress. “ The women’s long dresses were made of thick fabrics, purple, gold, and navy blue, and stitched brightly with fabulous, complicated embroidery.” As the reader reads lines like these they are transformed to another world.
Besides her use of detailed descriptions another reason her book works so well are her characters. As you read you immediately fall in love with all the characters. Even though it would be easy to dislike her father for moving his family she never allows Liyana to speak ill of him like most teenagers would do in the situation. The family sticks together and supports each other and that is evident in their interaction. The secondary characters are also extremely likeable such as Omer and Sitti.
Overall, this is a wonderful story for any young adult. It touches on many topics that a young adult may face as well as the culture of a new land. This book would help a class touch on many subject areas while reading a wonderfully written story.


REVIEW EXCERPTS
School Library Journal
When Liyana's doctor father, a native Palestinian, decides to move his contemporary Arab-American family back to Jerusalem from St. Louis, 14-year-old Liyana is unenthusiastic. Arriving in Jerusalem, the girl and her family are gathered in by their colorful, warmhearted Palestinian relatives and immersed in a culture where only tourists wear shorts and there is a prohibition against boy/girl relationships. When Liyana falls in love with Omer, a Jewish boy, she challenges family, culture, and tradition, but her homesickness fades. Constantly lurking in the background of the novel is violence between Palestinian and Jew. It builds from minor bureaucratic annoyances and humiliations, to the surprisingly shocking destruction of grandmother's bathroom by Israeli soldiers, to a bomb set off in a Jewish marketplace by Palestinians.

The New York Times Book Review
Adolescence magnifies the joys and anxieties of growing up even as it radically simplifies the complexities of the adult world. The poet and anthologist Naomi Shibab Nye is meticulously sensitive to this rainbow of emotion in her autobiographical novel, Habibi…. Habibi gives a reader all the sweet richness of a Mediterranean dessert, while leaving some of the historic complexities open to interpretation.


Reviews accessed at:
http://www.amazon.com/Habibi-Naomi-Shihab-Nye/dp/0689825234


CONNECTIONS
Additional books by the author:
Sitti's Secrets ISBN-10: 0689817061
The Flag of Childhood: Poems From the Middle East ISBN-10: 0689851723

WHAT'S WRONG WITH TIMMY?

Shriver,Maria. 2001. WHATS WRONG WITH TIMMY?.Ill. Sandra Speidel. New York: Warner Books.
ISBN-10: 0316155489

PLOT SUMMARY
Kate is a curious young girl who asks lots of questions. One day while at the park Kate sees a young boy that looks different. “He had brown hair like her brothers, freckles on his nose, and wore a t-shirt and shorts just like her brothers.” However, Kate can not get over the fact that he somehow looked different. When Kate goes to ask her mother about the new boy she learns that the moms are friends. As she sets and talks with her mom she learns that Timmy has a learning disability and he can do things just like her. Timmy just needs a little longer to learn them. After feeling more at ease Kate goes and makes friends with Timmy and tries to get a game of basketball going with her other friends. When they show a bit of apprehension Kate stands by her new friend and begins playing with just him. The other friends soon join in and all the children become friends.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Our story starts out almost like a fairy tale “Once upon a time there was a girl named Kate”. This beginning is the start of several problems within this book. The reader is lead to believe from the beginning that the story is about a girl named Kate rather than about a boy named Timmy. This seems to be true for a majority of the story. Shriver spends a large part of the story dealing with how Kate feels and how she thinks Timmy looks strange. Shriver could have focused more on Timmy and his feelings. Another issue with the story is the conversation between Kate and her mother. It is often not believable. Kate speaks more like an adult than a child when asking her mother questions about Timmy.
Speidel’s illustrations are done in hazy pastels setting the mood for a more delicate topic. The pictures do a nice job telling the story. Overall, the message behind the book is a good one and there are not many books available to help children deal with disabilities however, I feel this one falls short.


REVIEW EXCERPTS
Amazon.com
When 8-year-old Kate meets a boy who seems somehow different, she feels funny inside. After talking with her mom, though, Kate begins to understand that Timmy is just like her in many ways. Timmy has special needs; he takes longer to learn than Kate, and can't walk or run as well. But he also "loves his family, he wants friends, he goes to school, and he dreams about what he wants to be when he grows up." Kate and Timmy meet, and the seeds of a friendship are planted.
From School Library Journal
The warm pastel illustrations support the theme of acceptance of all people no matter their differences. However, the little girl's questions and actions are quite mature for her age. The lack of paragraphs might be a bit confusing to young readers, and the intermittent use of bold-faced, larger-sized type is a bit disruptive, although its purpose seems to be to highlight the theme. The book reads well, though, and would be a good introduction for youngsters welcoming a disabled child into their school or neighborhood.


Reviews accessed at:
http://www.amazon.com/Whats-Wrong-Timmy-Maria-Shriver/dp/0316233374

CONNECTIONS
Additional books on the topic.

I Can, Can You? ISBN-10: 1890627577
Don't Call Me Special: A First Look at Disability ISBN-10: 0764121189

KING AND KING

De Haan, Linda & Stern Mijland. 2000. KING AND KING. Toronto: Tricycle Press.
ISBN-10: 1582460612

PLOT SUMMARY
When a Queen is ready to retire and relax she encourages her son the prince to find himself a wife so he can marry and take over as King. This task is not as easy as she believes. The young prince reveals that he has never been “fond of princesses”. After inspecting several of the nearby princesses he and the Queen are frustrated. They are down to the last princess and it seems as all hope is lost. As Princess Madeleine and her brother Prince Lee enter the room it is love at first sight for the princes. It seems that Prince Lee is everything the young prince has been looking for. After the wedding celebration the Queen is able to relax and the two Kings live happily ever after.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Mijland and de Haan have taken a serious subject and tried to make it less serious. Their use of the fairy tale theme is a nice idea to help reach younger readers. This format also lends it self well to the message of living happily ever after even in a same sex marriage. However, the illustrations are huge distractions from the story. The illustrations are busy with many of them slanted on the page. Several of the pages have patterned backgrounds behind the characters drawing the reader’s eyes from the characters to the patterns. The use of color varies throughout the book. On many pages you have bright colors while on the next page you are given darker colors. The characters are drawn with harsh expressions on their faces and are ugly. In many of the illustrations the prince looks almost sickly and he has a rather feminine appearance like the stereotypical homosexual. The illustrations are the biggest down fall for this book. Overall the theme of same sex marriage in a fairly tale format is a good idea, but the illustrations do not carry the story. There are better choices out on the market on the same subject.


REVIEW EXCERPTS
Publishers Weekly
When a grouchy queen tells her layabout son that it's time for him to marry, he sighs, "Very well, Mother.... I must say, though, I've never cared much for princesses." His young page winks. Several unsatisfactory bachelorettes visit the castle before "Princess Madeleine and her brother, Prince Lee" appear in the doorway. The hero is smitten at once. "What a wonderful prince!" he and Prince Lee both exclaim, as a shower of tiny Valentine hearts flutters between them.

From School Library Journal
Unfortunately, though, the book is hobbled by thin characterization and ugly artwork; the homosexual prince comes across as fragile and languid, while the dour, matronly queen is a dead ringer for England's Victoria at her aesthetic worst. Some of the details in the artwork are interesting, including the "crown kitty" performing antics in the periphery. However, that isn't enough to compensate for page after page of cluttered, disjointed, ill-conceived art. The book does present same-sex marriage as a viable, acceptable way of life within an immediately recognizable narrative form, the fairy tale. However, those looking for picture books about alternative lifestyles may want to keep looking for a barrier-breaking classic on the subject.


Reviews accessed at:
http://www.amazon.com/King-Linda-Haan/dp/1582460612

CONNECTIONS
Additional books on the subject.
And Tango Makes Three ISBN-10: 0689878451
Emma and Meesha My Boy: A Two Mom Story ISBN-10: 1413416004