The Storytellers - Hardcover

Lewin, Ted

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0688151787 ISBN 13: 9780688151782

Publisher: HarperCollins, 1998

Synopsis

It is early morning, and the haunting cry of the muezzin drifts in the air above the city of Fez, Morocco. Abdul and his grandfather are walking to work-past souk after souk of carpet sellers and weavers, leatherworkers and metalsmiths, then out through the ancient gate. Spreading a carpet on the ground, they wait for a crowd to gather. And then, at least, Grandfather begins: "This happened, or maybe it did not..."

About this title

About the Author

Ted Lewin grew up in an old frame house in Buffalo, New York, with two brothers, one sister, two parents, a lion, an iguana, a chimpanzee, and an assortment of more conventional pets. The lion was given to his older brother, Don, while he was traveling as a professional wrestler, and he shipped it home. The family kept Sheba in the basement fruit cellar until Don returned and their mother convinced him to give it to the Buffalo zoo.

Ted always knew he wanted to be an illustrator. As a child he copied the work of illustrators and painters he admired, including N. C. Wyeth, Winslow Homer, John Singer Sargent, Velázquez, and Goya. When it came time to go to art school (Pratt), he needed to earn money to finance his education. So, following in his brother’s footsteps, he took a summer job as a wrestler -- the beginning of a 15-year part-time career that eventually inspired his autobiographical book I Was a Teenage Professional Wrestler. Ted’s career as an artist began with illustrations for adventure magazines, and it’s only over the last several years that he has devoted his time to writing and illustrating children’s books. "I’m having more fun doing this than anything I’ve ever done before," he says. He is an avid traveler, and many of his books are inspired by trips to such places as the Amazon River, the Sahara Desert, Botswana, Egypt, Lapland, and India. His Market!, published in 1996, showcases markets around the world, from Uganda to Ireland to Ecuador.

Touch and Go is a collection of stories about the adventures Ted had while researching his books. Gorilla Walk is his first collaboration with his wife, Betsy, and is about their trek to see the mountain gorillas in Uganda. They’ve just completed their second collaboration, Elephant Quest, set in the Okavango Delta of Botswana. Ted’s current project is about a Civil War drummer boy.

Ted and Betsy live in Brooklyn, New York, where they share their home with two cats, Slick and Chopper.

Reviews

Kindergarten-Grade 4?The culture of Morocco comes to life in this tribute to the magic of storytelling. Abdul and his grandfather wend their way through the streets of the old city of Fez, passing the souks of the various trades as they go. While enjoying the sights, smells, and sounds of the marketplace, Abdul is convinced that the work that he and his grandfather do is the most gratifying of all. When his grandfather begins to weave magical tales, mesmerizing his audience, Abdul's feelings are confirmed. With the same intensity found in Peppe the Lamplighter (Lothrop, 1993), Lewin has created striking acrylic paintings that capture the colors and the sights of Fez, which has changed little over the past thousand years. The realistic paintings are wonderfully textured, and the faces of the people Abdul meets are particularly well drawn, making the double-page illustrations a perfect complement to this tale of a gifted storyteller whose words touch the hearts of his listeners. The story flows easily, using a few Arabic terms (italicized and explained either in the accompanying glossary or in context) to enhance the flavor of the tale. The strong relationship between Abdul and his grandfather will help readers identify with the characters, despite the exotic setting. A rather quiet story, Lewin's tale will, nonetheless, captivate young listeners, drawing them in and holding their attention. Most importantly, it will help to validate storytelling as an art form that transcends differences in culture and age. A gem for storytime read-alouds.?Nancy Menaldi-Scanlan, LaSalle Academy, Providence, RI
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Lewin (Market!) once again demonstrates his remarkable gift for bringing faraway locales to life for young readers, even if this tale of Abdul and his storyteller-grandfather, who head to work on the outskirts of an ancient Moroccan city, falls flat. Sun-tinged watercolor scenes of Fez bustle with the activity of the souk, or marketplace: muleteers guiding mules loaded down with brass bowls and crates holding TV sets, a wool-dyer twisting long, bright skeins, a wizened old falconer holding his pink-hooded peregrine, leather-dyers drying the dyed skins on rooftops, weavers, rug merchants and other intriguing sights. Lewin builds suspense by hinting at the work that lies ahead for his two protagonists?Abdul carries a cage with a single white pigeon and Grandfather carries a blanket. But when they at last arrive at the city gates, wait for the crowd to gather, and release the pigeon who carries a story back from the sky for Grandfather to tell, readers never get to hear it. Lewin tells only the beginning and end of the tale, and readers may well feel cheated. Unfortunately, the lovely panoramas can't make up for the book's abrupt ending. Ages 5-up.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Ages 5^-8. As Abdul and his grandfather make their way through the busy streets of the ancient city of Fez, Abdul notices the laborious tasks that people are doing, such as dying wool, pounding metal, and tanning leather. "`That's hard work,' says Abdul. `Not like ours.'" At the city gate, they stop and spread a carpet, and a crowd gathers to hear the stories the grandfather, assisted by Abdul and his pigeon, will tell. That is the work Abdul referred to: he and his grandfather are storytellers. As with many of Lewin's previous books, readers take an armchair journey so vividly described and painted with such artistry that it's almost like traveling along with the author. But this book is more than a mere travelogue: it lends insight into the daily life of the people who live in Morocco, and the glossary of Arab words at the beginning of the book allows Lewin to give an authentic feeling to the language in an understandable way. Susan Dove Lempke

Edition details

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0688151787
• ISBN 13: 9780688151782
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Lewin Ted
• Number of pages: 40