January 1, 1996
K-Gr 3-Set in a Muslim village in Egypt, this tale of friendship and faith is warm and satisfying. Salah lives in a mud-brick house on the banks of the Nile. Contented with his own life, he feels sad because his beloved camel, Qadiim, always seems so solemn and unhappy. Father does not understand the boy's concern for an animal he thinks of as an "."..obstinate, stupid, ugly beast,"" but he comforts his son. He explains that mortals must learn to live knowing only 99 names for Allah, when it is the 100th name that is most important. That night, Salah thinks about his father's words, deciding that Qadiim should be told the 100th name. Outside, beneath the moon, he unrolls his father's prayer rug and makes his first prayer to Allah. In the morning, Qadiim stands tall and proud, wearing a look of ""infinite wisdom."" Told with sincerity and dignity, this tale skillfully weaves together cultural and religious images. The plot is filled with details of everyday life, and many descriptive phrases are tied to the landscape. With their textures, patterns, and muted color scheme, Hays's handsome acrylic-on-linen illustrations create a strong sense of place. Smaller, more detailed insets sometimes accompany the larger paintings, and the visual story unrolls with the grace and serenity of Father's prayer rug.-Joy Fleishhacker, New York Public Library
September 15, 1995
Ages 4^-8. Humans know ninety-nine names for Allah, but the hundredth name is a secret. Long ago in Muslim Egypt, a small boy named Salah is sad because his beloved camel is sad. In fact, all the camels in the village hang their heads and drag along. Salah's father tells the boy to pray to Allah for help. That night Salah prays with all his might. The next day the camel stands proud and strong, and Salah believes that it's because the camel knows the hundredth name of Allah. The storytelling is heavily contrived to bring in the religion, but this is one of the few picture books about the Muslim faith and the power of prayer in daily life. Hays' golden-hued acrylic illustrations on linen canvas capture the reverence of the story and the loving bonds between the boy, his father, and his camel against the light-filled desert and river landscape. ((Reviewed Sept. 15, 1995))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1995, American Library Association.)
September 4, 1995
Originally published in Cricket magazine, this quiet tale set ``far back in time'' in Muslim Egypt conveys the lessons of a foreign culture and its enduring religiosity. Salah is distressed because his camel, Quadiim, seems sad. His father tries to reassure him: "Here on earth we poor mortals must live and die knowing only ninety-nine names for Allah, our God, though there are, in truth, one hundred names, and the last one is the most important. But do we walk about dejected, head down, shuffling our feet? No! We work, we eat, we care for each other." And, he concludes, "We pray!" Drawing his own interpretation, Salah fervently bids Allah to let the camel learn the 100th name. The following day, the animal stands proud and tall, a "look of infinite wisdom" on its face. Oppenheim's (Appleblossom) lucid, gentle storytelling conjures up the worshipful atmosphere of Salah's home, even if the exact significance of specific points (like Allah's 100 names) may elude the target audience. Hays's (The Boy Who Loved Morning) paintings, obviously carefully researched, ably suggest a timeless setting. Rendered in acrylics on gessoed linen canvas so that the grain shows through, effectively hazy art captures the spiritual quality of the tale. Ages 4-8.
September 1, 1997
PW noted the "lucid, gentle storytelling" in this spiritual tale of an Egyptian boy and his camel. Ages 4-8.