Malala, a Brave Girl from Pakistan; Iqbal, a Brave Boy from Pakistan by Jeanette Winter
2014; Johns Hopkins University Press; Volume: 68; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1353/bcc.2014.1004
ISSN1558-6766
Autores Tópico(s)Politics and Conflicts in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Middle East
ResumoReviewed by: Malala, a Brave Girl from Pakistan; Iqbal, a Brave Boy from Pakistan by Jeanette Winter Elizabeth Bush Winter, Jeanette Malala, a Brave Girl from Pakistan; Iqbal, a Brave Boy from Pakistan; written and illus. by Jeanette Winter. Beach Lane/Simon, 2014 40 p Trade ed. ISBN 978-1-4814-2294-9 $17.99 E-book ed. ISBN 978-1-4814-2295-6 $10.99 Ad 6–8 yrs This picture book, which features two stories linked back to back in the same volume, highlights two powerful advocates for children’s rights, each a young person of exceptional courage. Iqbal Masih, a child indentured to a carpet factory owner to secure his family’s modest debt, spoke out among fellow child laborers concerning the illegality of the Peshgi loan system and gained international attention. Known to be in the crosshairs of the carpet factory owners, he was shot to death in 1995 at age thirteen while riding his bicycle. Malala Yousafzai, an outspoken proponent of children’s right to education, was shot through the head by a Taliban fighter, was evacuated to Great Britain for treatment, and currently continues to advocate for civil rights back in Pakistan. Winter begins each story with an introductory note in prose considerably more sophisticated than the ensuing text. The two biographies share a scant forty pages, and the abridgment of the complex tales leaves notable gaps: for example, how does a child like Iqbal, who has been chained to a loom since early childhood, learn to read the public notice about the outlawed Peshgi system? Why is Malala wearing a uniform when “the brave girls of Swat Valley outwit the Taliban fighters by wearing everyday clothes to school”? Muted tones and doll-like representations of the two heroes soften the tragedy of the stories, and the inclusion of kites as symbols of freedom are used to advantage as the ghostly Iqbal and vibrant Malala exchange kites on the transition spread between stories. With Malala’s recent Nobel Peace Prize award (made after this title’s publication), this work will fill demand for material at a primary-grade level. Copyright © 2014 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
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