The Earth Shook: A Persian Tale - Hardcover

Napoli, Donna Jo

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 142310448X ISBN 13: 9781423104483

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2009

Synopsis

Little Parisa Farsi for "like an angel" goes to bed one night only to be shaken from sleep by an earthquake that rocks her home of Bam, Iran. Frightened and alone the earthquake has left her town deserted Parisa knocks on the doors of various animals, only to be rebuffed again and again. Boar accuses her of being a hunter; Owl blames her for taking his food and leaving him hungry. Lion just gives a ferocious roar. Left with nothing but her resolve, Parisa turns to the most natural of human instincts: She walked as a human child under the sun. She dances. She laughs. She waters neglected flowers. She shares. And one by one, her generous spirit inspires the animals around her to put aside their differences and revel in the simple delights that unite them.Donna Jo Napoli's accomplished storytelling is beautifully complemented by Gabi Swiatkowska's dramatic oil paintings to celebrate the courage and fortitude of the human spirit.

About this title

Reviews

Grade 2–4—Napoli spins a strange and troubling story of a lone child left to survive in a world of wild animals. As Parisa (Farsi for "Like an Angel") is sleeping in her bed, the earth shakes and homes collapse. "No one was left within the town walls except Parisa" and she slips "…outside like a frightened whisper." Each day, the girl knocks on a door that is answered by an animal: Boar on Saturday, Snapping Turtle on Sunday, then Bear, Owl, Snake, Wolf, and Lion. Having been harmed in some way by either human or beast, each creature sends the child away with a threat. Referring to the animals as "monsters," the resilient girl decides to "do what humans do." She exhibits kindness, thankfulness, and laughter, and several animals join in. According to an author's note, the inspiration for the story came from a 2003 earthquake that killed half the population in the city of Bam, Iran, and orphaned many children. A number of Swiatkowska's impressionistic oil paintings feature striking, larger-than-life close-ups of Parisa's face, legs, and body; of Snapping Turtle and Bear, Owl and Lion. With the paint layered color upon color, the artist's boldly stroked style is even looser and more imaginative than that employed in Helen Recorvits's Yoon and the Jade Bracelet (Farrar, 2008). Artistry aside, the jarring tale ends abruptly, leaving disturbing thoughts in its wake.—Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH END

Edition details

• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 142310448X
• ISBN 13: 9781423104483
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Swiatkowska Gabi
• Number of pages: 40