View Content #7007
| Contentid | 7007 |
|---|---|
| Content Type | 1 |
| Title | Middle Reach Outreach Council Announces 2007 Book Awards |
| Body | The Middle East Outreach Council (MEOC) has announced its 2007 Middle East book awards recipients. The 2007 MEOC award recipients and MEOC summaries are as follows: PICTURE BOOK CATEGORY (Winner) One City, Two Brothers, written by Chris Smith, illustrated by Aurélia Fronty (Barefoot Books, 2007) This retelling of a traditional story from the time of King Solomon serves as a metaphor for the “wish for the people of Israel and Palestine to find peace.” The story describes the founding of the city of Jerusalem as related by King Solomon, as he seeks to settle an inheritance dispute between two brothers. A brief footnote at the end describes the importance of Jerusalem in the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim faiths. (Honorable Mention) Count Your Way through Iran, by Jim Haskins and Kathleen Benson, illustrated by Farida Zaman (Millrook Press, 2007). Using simple text, authors Jim Haskins and Kathleen Benson introduce elementary age readers to Iranian culture by choosing words that fit the numbers one (yek) through ten (dah) in Farsi. The book travels the length and breadth of the country, from Omar Khayyam’s famous four line poems to the seven countries that border Iran. This book makes an excellent nonpolitical introduction to the rich culture of Iran for younger readers. (Honorable Mention) The Rich Man and the Parrot, retold by Suzan Nadimi, illustrated by Ande Cook (Albert Whitman and Company, 2007). The Rich Man and the Parrot comes from the Masnavi, a work by the thirteenth-century Persian poet Mevlana Jalal ad-Din Rumi (1207-1273). In this simple tale, a parrot, the beloved possession of a wealthy merchant, tricks his owner into setting him free. While telling the tried-and-tested story of the small and weak triumphing over the large and powerful, this culturally rich story reads easily and sends a strong message. 2007 has been declared “The Year of Rumi” by UNESCO in honor of the poet’s 800th birthday, and this is a wonderful way to introduce him to young readers. YOUTH LITERATURE (Winner) Tasting the Sky: A Palestinian Childhood, by Ibtisam Barakat (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007). In this powerful, groundbreaking memoir, Ibtisam Barakat captures what it is like to be a child whose world is shattered by war. While Tasting the Sky deals with many specifically Palestinian issues, it also explores universal themes of conflict with parents and society, the impact of war on children, and living a positive life despite hardships and tragedies. If connecting with the reader is an important aspect of literature, then this book accomplishes that goal. YOUTH NONFICTION (Winner–tie) Iraq (Modern World Nations Series) by Dale Lightfoot, series editor Charles F. Gritzner (Chelsea House Publishers, 2007). This entry on Iraq is clearly written, well organized, and nicely illustrated (great photos and maps). This book gives a thorough overview of Iraq’s culture, geography, and history, but also touches on popular culture, sports, and youth culture. This entry in the series is a worthy standout. (Winner–tie) Opposing Viewpoints: Iran (Opposing Viewpoints Series), Laura K. Egendorf, editor (Greenhaven Press, 2006). This volume dealing with Iran continues the series’ tradition of using short primary documents to encourage readers to familiarize themselves with opposing answers to a posed question: Is Iran a Threat to Global Security? What is the Future of Iran? The series encourages its readers to understand both sides of an argument, rather than creating an arbitrary middle ground or attempting to pass off one set of views as “right” and the opposing side as “wrong.” An excellent resource for secondary level educators that can also be easily appreciated by the lay reader looking for more information on this timely subject. |
| Source | Arabic-L |
| Inputdate | 2007-11-24 06:37:25 |
| Lastmodifieddate | 2007-11-24 06:37:25 |
| Expdate | Not set |
| Publishdate | 2007-11-26 00:00:00 |
| Displaydate | Not set |
| Active | 1 |
| Emailed | 1 |
| Isarchived | 1 |
