I Can't Stop! A Story about Tourette Syndrome
Niner, Holly L. 2005. I Can't Stop! A Story about Tourette Syndrome. Ill. by Meryl Treatmer. Morton Grove, IL: Albert Whitman. ISBN: 0807536202.
PLOT SUMMARY
When Nathan's winking, sniffling, and compulsive movements cause problems for him at home and school, he and his family learn that he has Tourette syndrome. With the help of his parents and a good friend, Nathan learns how to cope with this neurological tic disorder.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Nathan’s tics are causing problems for him at home and school. After visiting an eye doctor, Nathan and his parents see a specialist who informs them that Nathan has TS. Nathan ultimately shares the information with his classmates. With the help of his family and best friend, Josh, he practices strategies to cope with his disability.
I Can’t Stop! A Story About Tourette Syndrome is useful as a primer on this fairly common, “as many as one in a hundred,” neurological disorder. Nathan, the protagonist with TS, appears to be about 11 or 12 years old, but the book’s simplistic style and limited vocabulary is targeted to a younger audience, ‘Josh said ...“I’m your best friend, aren’t I?” Nathan felt better. “The best,” he said.’ The story line is also simple, and there is little information offered about Nathan other than his disability.
The book is factually accurate and offers an insider’s look at life with TS, however, at times it reads like a non-fiction book, “When you want to move any part of your body, one area of your brain sends a message to another, said Dr. Phillips. “Chemicals carry these messages. People with tics have too much of a chemical that turns movements on.”
Other times, the dialogue stretches the limits of credibility, as when Nathan tells Josh that he is having difficulty learning to change his tics and Josh replies, “That’s OK ... I practice my spelling words every day, and I still get some wrong.”
Author Holly Niner, was definitely not trying to curry favor with librarians in the writing of I Can’t Stop! When Nathan’s tics cause him to bark twice in the library, Nathan and Josh are summarily ejected by the librarian. While sports and exercise are strongly encouraged for children with TS, non-athletic children may also take issue with this book. Nathan’s only successes come from his prowess on the soccer field and the swim team.
Meryl Treatner’s illustrations are, for the most part, lifelike and believable, particularly Nathan’s facial tics and the expressions of his family members, showing in turn annoyance, concern, and happiness. The depictions of Nathan watching TV with his dad, tapping his pencil at school, and attending swim practice, could be illustrations of any child. Only Treatner’s interpretations of the insensitive children at school are exaggerated. In two instances, they are drawn standing in a group, pointing, snickering, and guffawing in a larger-than-life manner, lacking the deceitfulness which usually accompanies this type of teasing.
Every page but one is illustrated. The colors are realistic, but bright, and the details are meticulous – one can even read the time on Nathan’s mom’s wristwatch. The cover art is an engaging illustration of a winking Nathan and his friend, Josh.
I Can’t Stop! A Story About Tourette Syndrome, will most likely have limited appeal outside the friends, family, and teachers of children with Tourette’s. It is not without merit, but Marcia Byalick’s Quit It, set a standard for books on TS that I Can’t Stop, cannot top.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
"Very few books are available for young audiences on this medical concern; what's out there tends to be nonfiction for older readers. Thus, this title does fill a void."
Vanca, Lynn K. 2005. "I Can't Stop!: A Story about Tourette Syndrome." School Library Journal 51, no. 11: 102-102. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed July 27, 2007).
"Realistic watercolor-and-pencil illustrations, reflect the straightforward intent of the book, which will be useful in libraries and schools serving children struggling with TS."
Mattson, Jennifer. 2005. "I Can't Stop!: A Story about Tourette Syndrome." Booklist 102, no. 6: 52. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed July 27, 2007).
CONNECTIONS
For slightly older readers (ages 9 and up), suggest Quit It by Marcia Byalick. Carrie, Quit It's protagonist, is a likeable and believable character with the same issues that many children face, in addition to TS.
For parents or teachers of children with TS, suggest Children with Tourette Syndrome: A Parents' Guide, edited by Tracy Lynne Marsh. This book is in its second printing and was favorably reviewed by Library Journal and Kirkus Reports.
Public librarians can suggest I have Tourette's but Tourette's doesn't have me, a DVD produced by the Tourette Syndrome Association and HBO.
Showing posts with label Inclusive Children's Literature. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Inclusive Children's Literature. Show all posts
Sunday, July 29, 2007
And Tango Makes Three
And Tango Makes Three
Richardson, Justin and Peter Parnell. 2005. And Tango Makes Three. Ill. by Henry Cole. New York: Simon & Shuster. ISBN: 0689878451.
PLOT SUMMARY
And Tango Makes Three is the true story of a pair of Central Park penguins, Roy and Silo. Despite being of the same sex, Roy and Silo hatch and raise a penguin chick, Tango, illustrating that a loving family may have more than one appearance.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Ostensibly, And Tango Makes Three is a penguin story that takes place at the Central Park Zoo. However, it doesn't take too much of a careful look to see that this story is much more than just a penguin story. The story begins at the entrance to the zoo, where the delightful cartoon illustrations (sometimes as many as twelve to a page!) make it clear that families come in all varieties. Entering the zoo are a single parent pushing a stroller, a gray-haired woman with two toddlers, two women of different races with two children, and a young couple with a young boy. Inside the zoo, there are depictions of animal, avian and amphibian families as well. Then, there are the penguins. Two penguins in particular, Roy and Silo, "were a little bit different." "They didn't spend much time with the girl penguins, and the girl penguins didn't spend much time with them." "So they built a nest of stones for themselves...., just like the other penguins." Roy and Silo attempt to hatch a rock. Their devotion to their duty, captured beautifully in pictures as well as text, is touching as well as humorous, as they sat, "and sat....And sat." When their rock fails to hatch, their expressions are puzzled, but not daunted.
When the zookeeper gives them a real egg to hatch, "Roy and Silo knew just what to do." When the egg begins to "peep," Roy and Silo appear not surprised, but knowing, expectant. Children will love the twelve illustrations that culminate in fuzzy Tango's emergence from her egg. Roy, Silo, and Tango wear joyful expressions as they greet "their very own baby!" When the story ends, Tango is older and the normally ice blue background has changed to the colors of sunset as Tango, Roy and Silo "snuggled together and, like all the other penguins in the penguin house, and all the other animals in the zoo, and all the families in the big city around them, they went to sleep."
The beauty of And Tango Makes Three is the understated manner in which Richardson and Parnell, as well as illustrator Henry Cole, introduce the subject of homosexuality. As in nature, the illustrations show that the male and female penguins do not have easily identifiable differences. Roy and Silo are differentiated only by their prominence in the story. Young readers may not find Roy and Silo to be a "different" couple because they look exactly as the rest of the penguin couples. Only once does the text blatantly point to the non-traditional nature of Roy and Silo's union, "Tango was the very first penguin in the zoo to have two daddies." Gay parents should welcome this book as an opportunity for children of gay couples to see a reflection and validation of their own lifestyle. "Straight" readers of Tango should be able to use this story as a very basic introduction to homosexuality, or ignore this aspect completely and simply enjoy a heartwarming penguin tale.
And Tango Makes Three is a well-written introduction into the habits of penguins, as well as the nature of homosexuality. Both topics are presented accurately and factually. The Authors' Note following the story explains that all of the events in the story are true, and that the penguins may still be found in the Central Park Zoo. (To avoid disappointment, before taking a trip to the zoo, ensure that the penguins from this 2005 book are still alive and well - and be prepared - Silo has left Roy since the publication of this book)
REVIEW EXCERPTS
"This tale based on a true story about a charming penguin family living in New York City's Central Park Zoo will capture the hearts of penguin lovers everywhere. ... This joyful story about the meaning of family is a must for any library."
Roach, Julie, Jones, Trevelyn E., Toth, Luann, Charnizon, Marlene, Grabarek, Daryl, and Dale Raben. 2005. "And Tango Makes Three." School Library Journal 51, no. 7: 81-81. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed July 27, 2007).
"This tender story can also serve as a gentle jumping-off point for discussions about same-sex partnerships in human society."
2005. "And Tango Makes Three." Publishers Weekly 252, no. 20: 61-62. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed July 27, 2007).
"...it's naive to expect that this will be read only as a zoo anecdote."
Mattson, Jennifer. 2005. "And Tango Makes Three (Book)." Booklist 101, no. 18: 1657-1657. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed July 27, 2007).
CONNECTIONS
Public librarians can suggest King and King by Linda de Haan and Stern Nijland for parents or customers seeking more pointed, but still age-appropriate, children's literature on gay couples.
Antarctic Antics: A Book of Penguin Poems, by Judy Sierra, is a fun read aloud companion to Tango.
Simon & Shuster offers a teaching guide for And Tango Makes Three. It can be accessed at http://www.simonsays.com/content/book.cfm?sid=183&pid=505791&agid=21
Richardson, Justin and Peter Parnell. 2005. And Tango Makes Three. Ill. by Henry Cole. New York: Simon & Shuster. ISBN: 0689878451.
PLOT SUMMARY
And Tango Makes Three is the true story of a pair of Central Park penguins, Roy and Silo. Despite being of the same sex, Roy and Silo hatch and raise a penguin chick, Tango, illustrating that a loving family may have more than one appearance.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Ostensibly, And Tango Makes Three is a penguin story that takes place at the Central Park Zoo. However, it doesn't take too much of a careful look to see that this story is much more than just a penguin story. The story begins at the entrance to the zoo, where the delightful cartoon illustrations (sometimes as many as twelve to a page!) make it clear that families come in all varieties. Entering the zoo are a single parent pushing a stroller, a gray-haired woman with two toddlers, two women of different races with two children, and a young couple with a young boy. Inside the zoo, there are depictions of animal, avian and amphibian families as well. Then, there are the penguins. Two penguins in particular, Roy and Silo, "were a little bit different." "They didn't spend much time with the girl penguins, and the girl penguins didn't spend much time with them." "So they built a nest of stones for themselves...., just like the other penguins." Roy and Silo attempt to hatch a rock. Their devotion to their duty, captured beautifully in pictures as well as text, is touching as well as humorous, as they sat, "and sat....And sat." When their rock fails to hatch, their expressions are puzzled, but not daunted.
When the zookeeper gives them a real egg to hatch, "Roy and Silo knew just what to do." When the egg begins to "peep," Roy and Silo appear not surprised, but knowing, expectant. Children will love the twelve illustrations that culminate in fuzzy Tango's emergence from her egg. Roy, Silo, and Tango wear joyful expressions as they greet "their very own baby!" When the story ends, Tango is older and the normally ice blue background has changed to the colors of sunset as Tango, Roy and Silo "snuggled together and, like all the other penguins in the penguin house, and all the other animals in the zoo, and all the families in the big city around them, they went to sleep."
The beauty of And Tango Makes Three is the understated manner in which Richardson and Parnell, as well as illustrator Henry Cole, introduce the subject of homosexuality. As in nature, the illustrations show that the male and female penguins do not have easily identifiable differences. Roy and Silo are differentiated only by their prominence in the story. Young readers may not find Roy and Silo to be a "different" couple because they look exactly as the rest of the penguin couples. Only once does the text blatantly point to the non-traditional nature of Roy and Silo's union, "Tango was the very first penguin in the zoo to have two daddies." Gay parents should welcome this book as an opportunity for children of gay couples to see a reflection and validation of their own lifestyle. "Straight" readers of Tango should be able to use this story as a very basic introduction to homosexuality, or ignore this aspect completely and simply enjoy a heartwarming penguin tale.
And Tango Makes Three is a well-written introduction into the habits of penguins, as well as the nature of homosexuality. Both topics are presented accurately and factually. The Authors' Note following the story explains that all of the events in the story are true, and that the penguins may still be found in the Central Park Zoo. (To avoid disappointment, before taking a trip to the zoo, ensure that the penguins from this 2005 book are still alive and well - and be prepared - Silo has left Roy since the publication of this book)
REVIEW EXCERPTS
"This tale based on a true story about a charming penguin family living in New York City's Central Park Zoo will capture the hearts of penguin lovers everywhere. ... This joyful story about the meaning of family is a must for any library."
Roach, Julie, Jones, Trevelyn E., Toth, Luann, Charnizon, Marlene, Grabarek, Daryl, and Dale Raben. 2005. "And Tango Makes Three." School Library Journal 51, no. 7: 81-81. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed July 27, 2007).
"This tender story can also serve as a gentle jumping-off point for discussions about same-sex partnerships in human society."
2005. "And Tango Makes Three." Publishers Weekly 252, no. 20: 61-62. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed July 27, 2007).
"...it's naive to expect that this will be read only as a zoo anecdote."
Mattson, Jennifer. 2005. "And Tango Makes Three (Book)." Booklist 101, no. 18: 1657-1657. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed July 27, 2007).
CONNECTIONS
Public librarians can suggest King and King by Linda de Haan and Stern Nijland for parents or customers seeking more pointed, but still age-appropriate, children's literature on gay couples.
Antarctic Antics: A Book of Penguin Poems, by Judy Sierra, is a fun read aloud companion to Tango.
Simon & Shuster offers a teaching guide for And Tango Makes Three. It can be accessed at http://www.simonsays.com/content/book.cfm?sid=183&pid=505791&agid=21
Monday, July 23, 2007
Samir and Yonatan
Samir and Yonatan
Carmi, Daniella. 2000. Samir and Yonatan. New York: Arthur A. Levine. ISBN: 0439135044.
PLOT SUMMARY
When Samir rides his bike down a flight of marketplace steps in Palestine's Occupied Territories, his leg is shattered so badly that he must be taken to the Jewish hospital. As he waits there for the arrival of an American doctor, his family cut off by roadblocks and obstacles, he gradually learns the stories of the Jewish patients sharing his room, and even makes a friend in the peculiar Yonatan.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Samir and Yonatan is a surrealistic tale, translated from its original Hebrew, of one boy’s stay in the hospital for a shattered leg. The boy is Samir, a young Palestinian from the Occupied Territories and the hospital is the “Jews’ hospital,” outside Samir’s world of curfews, roadblocks, shortages, and grief.
The jacket art by Rafal Oblinski hints at both the theme and the dreamlike nature of the story. The jacket illustration is a stone wall with a hole cut in the shape of a dove. Through the hole, one can see a dark night, a winding path, stars, comets, and the floating figures of two boys, Samir and Yonatan – suggesting the story’s themes of peace and escapism.
Samir’s family is unable to visit him because of roadblocks. He slowly comes to know his fellow patients and roommates- Yonatan, a quiet and dreamy youth with an unspecified hand disability, Ludmilla, a quiet girl from Russia intent on starving herself, Tzahi, a hyperactive boy who cannot urinate, Razia, a young girl with an abusive father. Tzahi’s brother is an Israeli paratrooper, much the same as the soldier who killed Samir’s brother, Fadi. Yonatan is a space aficionado who speaks to Samir only in the dark of night. He plans a trip to Mars for Samir and himself.
Samir’s story is told in a stream of consciousness format. His first person account moves through time and place as his mind wanders during his lengthy hospital stay. “I’m lying in bed, eating the chocolate crispies… They crackle in my mouth, making a nice sound. I remember the packet of chocolate that Bassam bought to me and Fadi. We kept it for some time, till Fadi said we should bury it with the rabbit, so she wouldn’t be all alone in there.”
The reader gains a sense of Samir’s uneasiness in a place so alien to his life experiences. Although he has learned Hebrew from his work at the grocery store, he is uncomfortable speaking both Hebrew and Arabic while in the hospital. While being anesthetized he counts in Arabic. “The Arabic numbers sound peculiar in this room. In this place the numbers are mine only, nothing to do with anybody else in the room.”
Samir eventually becomes friends with the bookish Yonatan, and they take their trip to Mars – a midnight foray to an unoccupied hospital office where they play a Mars simulator game on the computer – an otherworldly experience for a boy from the Occupied Territories where even a steady source of electricity is a luxury. Through Yonatan, Samir learns that he can use his imagination to escape from painful realities. Samir also comes to terms with his brother’s death and bonds in an unusual way with Tzahi, the paratrooper’s brother.
The story of Samir and Yonatan was written by Daniella Carmi, an Israeli author, and she succeeds wholeheartedly in portraying the plight of the occupied Palestinians. Through Samir’s use of occasional Arabic words and experiences, “I sit there with a wonderful taste in my mouth, the taste of labanch balls in olive oil, like Mom makes when Dad gets paid for barbering some UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Work Agency) people,” and his descriptions of a life filled with soldiers, sirens, burning tires, and power outages, the reader truly can understand Samir’s lifestyle. The contrast with his life in the hospital could not be starker. In the hospital he is served three meals per day in a comfortable bed, he eats sweets, plays with clay, and is attended to solicitously.
What is missing from the story is the Israeli perspective. Several Hebrew words are scattered throughout, and Ludmilla is pining away for her native Russia, but the story cements the impression that the Palestinians are heavily oppressed by wealthy and indulgent Jews. A more balanced perspective would help students understand the conflict. One reviewer noted that a companion activity to this book would be to teach the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Carmi missed an opportunity to incorporate this into Samir and Yonatan. Another flaw in this story is the assumption that the reader will know which names are Arabic and which are Hebrew. Without knowledge of local names, it is difficult to discern early in the book that Samir is the only Arabic patient at the hospital.
Overall, the story is hopeful in that Samir is able to identify with, and even befriend one of his Jewish roommates, and he returns to the Territories with a sense of hopefulness and possibility, “Yes … every day I’ll have to search for some new sign that will remind me that it all really happened, and was not a dream.”
Although School Library Journal suggests this title for grades 4-8, only an extremely insightful 4th grader would truly be able to grasp this complicated story. Grades 6-9 would be a more appropriate recommendation. (A glossary of Hebrew, Arabic, and selected acronyms is included.)
REVIEW EXCERPTS
"Explain the conflict between Israel and Palestine."
2005. "Israel/Palestine." Library Media Connection 23, no. 6: 41-41. Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts with Full Text, EBSCOhost (accessed July 27, 2007).
"The theme of tolerance and understanding is uplifting and hopeful."
Al-Hazzá, Tami C. 2006. "Samir and Yonatan." Book Links 15, no. 3: 12-12. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed July 27, 2007).
"This book was by far one of the... WEIRDEST books I have ever read!! My fellow youth and I (a bunch of 14 year olds) all agree that we would never under any circumstances find joy inAnd POKING someone else's pee bag! Nor would I find joy urinating with my enemy in a plant!"
2007. Schmitz, John J. Amazon.com "Dumber than my shoes." http://www.amazon.com/Samir-Yonatan-Daniella-Carmi/dp/0439135230/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-0651715-6160802?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1185559792&sr=8-1 (accessed July 27, 2007).
CONNECTIONS
A school reading of Samir and Yonatan should definitely be prefaced by a lesson on the Arab-Israeli conflict.
For readers interested in this topic, suggest One More River and Broken Bridge by Lynne Reid Banks.
Carmi, Daniella. 2000. Samir and Yonatan. New York: Arthur A. Levine. ISBN: 0439135044.
PLOT SUMMARY
When Samir rides his bike down a flight of marketplace steps in Palestine's Occupied Territories, his leg is shattered so badly that he must be taken to the Jewish hospital. As he waits there for the arrival of an American doctor, his family cut off by roadblocks and obstacles, he gradually learns the stories of the Jewish patients sharing his room, and even makes a friend in the peculiar Yonatan.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Samir and Yonatan is a surrealistic tale, translated from its original Hebrew, of one boy’s stay in the hospital for a shattered leg. The boy is Samir, a young Palestinian from the Occupied Territories and the hospital is the “Jews’ hospital,” outside Samir’s world of curfews, roadblocks, shortages, and grief.
The jacket art by Rafal Oblinski hints at both the theme and the dreamlike nature of the story. The jacket illustration is a stone wall with a hole cut in the shape of a dove. Through the hole, one can see a dark night, a winding path, stars, comets, and the floating figures of two boys, Samir and Yonatan – suggesting the story’s themes of peace and escapism.
Samir’s family is unable to visit him because of roadblocks. He slowly comes to know his fellow patients and roommates- Yonatan, a quiet and dreamy youth with an unspecified hand disability, Ludmilla, a quiet girl from Russia intent on starving herself, Tzahi, a hyperactive boy who cannot urinate, Razia, a young girl with an abusive father. Tzahi’s brother is an Israeli paratrooper, much the same as the soldier who killed Samir’s brother, Fadi. Yonatan is a space aficionado who speaks to Samir only in the dark of night. He plans a trip to Mars for Samir and himself.
Samir’s story is told in a stream of consciousness format. His first person account moves through time and place as his mind wanders during his lengthy hospital stay. “I’m lying in bed, eating the chocolate crispies… They crackle in my mouth, making a nice sound. I remember the packet of chocolate that Bassam bought to me and Fadi. We kept it for some time, till Fadi said we should bury it with the rabbit, so she wouldn’t be all alone in there.”
The reader gains a sense of Samir’s uneasiness in a place so alien to his life experiences. Although he has learned Hebrew from his work at the grocery store, he is uncomfortable speaking both Hebrew and Arabic while in the hospital. While being anesthetized he counts in Arabic. “The Arabic numbers sound peculiar in this room. In this place the numbers are mine only, nothing to do with anybody else in the room.”
Samir eventually becomes friends with the bookish Yonatan, and they take their trip to Mars – a midnight foray to an unoccupied hospital office where they play a Mars simulator game on the computer – an otherworldly experience for a boy from the Occupied Territories where even a steady source of electricity is a luxury. Through Yonatan, Samir learns that he can use his imagination to escape from painful realities. Samir also comes to terms with his brother’s death and bonds in an unusual way with Tzahi, the paratrooper’s brother.
The story of Samir and Yonatan was written by Daniella Carmi, an Israeli author, and she succeeds wholeheartedly in portraying the plight of the occupied Palestinians. Through Samir’s use of occasional Arabic words and experiences, “I sit there with a wonderful taste in my mouth, the taste of labanch balls in olive oil, like Mom makes when Dad gets paid for barbering some UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Work Agency) people,” and his descriptions of a life filled with soldiers, sirens, burning tires, and power outages, the reader truly can understand Samir’s lifestyle. The contrast with his life in the hospital could not be starker. In the hospital he is served three meals per day in a comfortable bed, he eats sweets, plays with clay, and is attended to solicitously.
What is missing from the story is the Israeli perspective. Several Hebrew words are scattered throughout, and Ludmilla is pining away for her native Russia, but the story cements the impression that the Palestinians are heavily oppressed by wealthy and indulgent Jews. A more balanced perspective would help students understand the conflict. One reviewer noted that a companion activity to this book would be to teach the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Carmi missed an opportunity to incorporate this into Samir and Yonatan. Another flaw in this story is the assumption that the reader will know which names are Arabic and which are Hebrew. Without knowledge of local names, it is difficult to discern early in the book that Samir is the only Arabic patient at the hospital.
Overall, the story is hopeful in that Samir is able to identify with, and even befriend one of his Jewish roommates, and he returns to the Territories with a sense of hopefulness and possibility, “Yes … every day I’ll have to search for some new sign that will remind me that it all really happened, and was not a dream.”
Although School Library Journal suggests this title for grades 4-8, only an extremely insightful 4th grader would truly be able to grasp this complicated story. Grades 6-9 would be a more appropriate recommendation. (A glossary of Hebrew, Arabic, and selected acronyms is included.)
REVIEW EXCERPTS
"Explain the conflict between Israel and Palestine."
2005. "Israel/Palestine." Library Media Connection 23, no. 6: 41-41. Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts with Full Text, EBSCOhost (accessed July 27, 2007).
"The theme of tolerance and understanding is uplifting and hopeful."
Al-Hazzá, Tami C. 2006. "Samir and Yonatan." Book Links 15, no. 3: 12-12. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed July 27, 2007).
"This book was by far one of the... WEIRDEST books I have ever read!! My fellow youth and I (a bunch of 14 year olds) all agree that we would never under any circumstances find joy inAnd POKING someone else's pee bag! Nor would I find joy urinating with my enemy in a plant!"
2007. Schmitz, John J. Amazon.com "Dumber than my shoes." http://www.amazon.com/Samir-Yonatan-Daniella-Carmi/dp/0439135230/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-0651715-6160802?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1185559792&sr=8-1 (accessed July 27, 2007).
CONNECTIONS
A school reading of Samir and Yonatan should definitely be prefaced by a lesson on the Arab-Israeli conflict.
For readers interested in this topic, suggest One More River and Broken Bridge by Lynne Reid Banks.
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