The Day of Ahmed's Secret - Softcover

Florence Parry Heide; Judith Heide Gilliland

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0575051329 ISBN 13: 9780575051324

Publisher: Orion Children's Books (an Imprint of The Orion Publishing Group Ltd ), 1992

Synopsis

Ahmed drives his donkey cart through the streets of Cairo, delivering butane gas cylinders to his father's customers. He knows everyone and has a part to play in the life of the city. He is proud to be strong enough to help his family, but most of all he is proud of his precious secret, a secret that he keeps until the end of the day. The book reveals a lot about Ahmed's life, and finally his secret - that he can write his name.

About this title

About the Author

Florence Parry Heide is a well-established American author of over 70 books; best-known in Britain for her TREEHORN stories.She lives in Wisconsin.Judith Heide Gilliland is her daughter. She lived in Cairo for two years and is an expert on Arab culture. She now lives in New Hampshire.Ted Lewin is a distinguished American artist who travels the world gathering material for his work. He lives in New York.

From School Library Journal

Ahmed has monumental news to share with his family, but first he must complete the age-old duties of a butagaz boy, delivering cooking gas to customers all over Cairo. The juxtapo sition of old and new is a repeated theme in Heide and Gilliland's thought ful story of a young boy living in the bustling metropolis surrounded by thousand-year-old walls and buildings. His philosophical musings as he steers his donkey cart on his appointed rounds could be those of any youngster, living in any age, waiting for the appropriate moment to share his special secret. En hanced by Lewin's distinguished pho torealistic watercolors, the sights, sounds, and smells of the exotic setting come to life. Sweeping double-page spreads reveal the sun-bleached streets, pedestrians bearing all manner of bundles, and colorful market stalls. At home at last, surrounded by his lov ing family, Ahmed demonstrates his newly acquired facility, proudly writing his name in Arabic. Life goes on in the hectic, noisy cities of the world regard less of a day's news and yet, the bound less energy and promise of youth rein force the ideal that anything is possible. Ahmed's story is a joyful celebration of that spirit.
-Luann Toth, School Library Journal
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Orion Children's Books (an Imprint of The Orion Publishing Group Ltd )
• Publication date: 1992
• ISBN 10: 0575051329
• ISBN 13: 9780575051324
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 32