Judith Heide GillilandReseñas

I am enjoying my 2022 quest to read most, if not all of my large accumulation of illustrated books. Primarily, I love the creative art found in these story books. This book in particular, brought laughter at the sheer creativity.

Newtown found a magical red crayon on the sidewalk. It felt warm when he placed it in his pocket. His mother gave him a large box of blank sheets of paper. He soon discovered that everything he drew flew off the page and became the reality of what he drew. A red shiny ball bounced off the page, and he caught it every time it hit the wall. "Not In the House Newton!" was what his mother said every time his creations became a reality.

A bright red race car, fire engine, a shiny pair of boots with a side zipper all became objects of play. And, when playing with each creation, the same words were heard loudly from his mother --"Not In the House Newton!"

Asking for a roll of tape, he carefully pieced together each drawing. On the back, he drew his most perfect creation of a bright red airplane with perfect wings . When he finished, the object once again became real. The door opened and Newton flew out the window. He called to his mother not to worry, he would not be navigating the plane in the house. Away he flew, with the bright red, warm crayon in his pocket.

This book is an excellent choice for the study of multicultural issues in elementary school. Ahmed is a boy who lives in Cairo, Egypt and he uses a donkey cart to deliver cans of fuel. He is proud of the fact that he can handle the donkey by himself and carry the cans up the stairs unaided. The story is a chronology of one of his days delivering his goods. He recites the people he sees every day as well as the sights and sounds of the streets of Cairo. The time setting appears to be in the 1950's or 1960's. There are cars on the streets and they appear to be of that age. Ahmed and his father also briefly discuss the desert and the Nile River, the two geographical features that make Egypt what it is. This day is also a bit special for Ahmed, for when the day is done, he reveals the exciting news that he has been saving for his family, the fact that he can write his name. Ahmed is simultaneously an ordinary and extraordinary Arab boy, just like all other boys around the world. Children of other cultures will learn much from reading about him.

A young Egyptian boy describes the city of Cairo as he goes about his daily work and waits for the evening to share a special surprise with his family.

Ahmed has a secret, and all day long his secret will be like a friend to him.
Tonight he will tell it to his family, but first he has work to do. Throughout
the bustling city of Cairo, Ahmed rides his donkey cart - up streets crowded
with cars and camels, down alleyways filled with merchants' stalls, past
buildings a thousand years old. The sights and sound of his city fill the day,
and when at last his work is done and Ahmed hurries home, young readers will be
as excited to hear his secret as Ahmed is to tell it.

Ahmed has a secret, and all day long his secret will be like a friend to him.
Tonight he will tell it to his family, but first he has work to do. Throughout
the bustling city of Cairo, Ahmed rides his donkey cart - up streets crowded
with cars and camels, down alleyways filled with merchants' stalls, past
buildings a thousand years old. The sights and sound of his city fill the day,
and when at last his work is done and Ahmed hurries home, young readers will be
as excited to hear his secret as Ahmed is to tell it.

This story is about a little boy named Ahmed who lives and works in the city of Cairo, Egypt. Throughout the story we follow Ahmed around the city as he sells goods and does his daily chores. Everyone knows Ahmed and is very friendly towards him. I love that this book gives some insight into the lives of people in other countries. Especially, countries like Egypt, where many Americans may have negative views. This book would be particularly great at showing children the stark differences and surprisingly similarity between kids in Egypt and kids where they live.

At the end of the story, Ahmed shows his parents his secret: that he had learned to write his name. Children can relate to the excitement of earning something new as well.

A gentle, touching story against a backdrop that must be rather exotic for most english speaking readers. [a:Ted Lewin's|30599|Ted Lewin|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-a7c55399ea455530473b9f9e4da94c40.png] illustrations, which we already knew from the equally stunning [b:Puffling Patrol|13589728|Puffling Patrol|Ted Lewin|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1333984150s/13589728.jpg|19177305] are truly remarkable, and worth picking this book up in itself.

I liked this book because the author kept you on the edge of your seat because you just wanted to know what the secret was already. I disliked that the author focused way too much on the place and setting, rather than the actual content of what was going to happen, I mean the secret was on the last page, and that was it. It took a long time for the story to develop, but after a while it was alright. I did like all of the setting descriptions though, because it made me think as to where they were, because it did not just explicitly state it. This made the book much more interesting for me.

This book will transport you to the city of Cairo. I believe is a great way to introduce an alien culture. Ahmed is a young boy that is making his daily rounds on a donkey cart. He delivers canister of gas door to door. The city is presented through his eyes, the text and illustrations work together in harmony to produce a sense of place so viviv that you can hear what he is telling in the story. The prose is continuos and makes it easy to read. The illustrations are very luminous and project what the narrator (Ahmed) is telling us. These illustrations capture every detail of Cairo. I would definitely use and recommend this book to my students.

In my opinion, this book was very well done and a great snapshot in the life of a child who lives in Cairo, Egypt. It is about a young boy how has to deliver propane to peoples houses across the city as a job. As one can imagine, it is a very tiring job and but one that lets you meet and interact with may people. The story is in first person as Ahmed takes you through his daily routine and shares with you the history and traditions of Egyptians. The language in the book is very descriptive and the illustrations help set a tone in the book. The busy streets filled with people in traditional attire help the reader understand what his world is like. Many people who read this book probably have never been to Cairo so the vivid watercolors give the illustrations also add significantly to the story, and serves to show things as Ahmed sees them. A theme in this book is traditions. The book, in detail, conveys what being a working child is like. This may not be tradition in the United States but, in other countries an impoverished family needs to have the children work instead of going to school. This theme carries thought to the very last page where the reader finds out that Ahmed’s “secret” is his ability to write his own name which would shock many people.

A multiculturalism book. Ahmed is a little boy that lives in a foreign town. Talks about sounds of the city and how his cart and he contribute to his city. Delivers for families. Book about growing up. Appreciating your surroundings. Ahmed learned how to write his name, which is the secret he can't wait to share with his family. Ahmed is so excited to share, identity established. His errands everyday were to deliver gas jugs. Town used gas versus electricity.

Summary: Ahmed is a little boy living in Cairo, Egypt. Every day is pretty much the same, except for today. Today he has a secret! But he can’t tell anyone his secret until he gets home. So he goes around the city, delivering his oil to his customers. All day he listens to the sounds and sees the sights and colors of the city. After his work is done, he goes home to his family. Excitedly he tells them his secret, holding up a piece of paper, saying “I can write my name!”
Personal Reaction: I think this story is a good example of a multicultural book. I liked that while the author didn’t specifically focus on the culture in Cairo, we still saw the daily life of someone who lives there. And the fact that it’s focused on a little boy who is working allows kids to see even more how different this culture and ours is.
Classroom Extension:
1. Have students do a comparison / contrast of their lives in America with what they noticed in the book. Do some as a class as an example, then individually. Then, have students talk about these comparisons in a paper, researching anything they are not sure about. Allow access to the library to research Cairo.
2. Look at the traditional dishes of Egypt. Ahmed has rice and beans, but what else are there? Have an international food week, and each day bring in something from a different country. One day, bring in a meal from Egypt and read this book. Ask kids what foods they saw or heard read to them. 

Using the word secret in the title will keep a child interested as they wait to find out what it is. While waiting, the author introduces us to the life and experiences of a child from Egypt. It is a great story that can be used to compare cultures and also understanding the importance of being able to write one's name. Times and events may change, but a name is forever.

This is a really interesting story about 9th century Baghdad, with fascinating illustrations, to boot! Considering how so much of the current news about Baghdad is war-related, it was a delight to read this story about the "House of Wisdom!"

This is a good story of another culture, though there is a degree of child labor that is a bit hard to take. It's a good story all the same though.

This is a book of the Amazon River. It's minimalist in its approach and is beautifully illustrated. This would be a great book for reading aloud and the detail is wonderful.

In my opinion, this is a culturally informative book that gives a strong snapshot into modern Egyptian (Middle Eastern) culture, while providing an entertaining, engaging storyline that is further enhanced with strong illustrations. The language used by the author is descriptive and informative; it walks the reader through an average day in Ahmed's life, allowing the reader to accompany Ahmed as he delivers cooking fuel to an old woman, purchases supplies from the market, and takes time out of his busy day to reflect on the history and heritage of his people, his land, and his culture. The story is told from Ahmed's perspective; he is walking the reader through a day that is average except for one thing, he has an incredible secret that he is holding on to. The illustrations also add significantly to the story, and serves to show things as Ahmed sees them. Lastly, the big idea is to attempt to show the fact that two people can be from different places, but still live a similar life that we are all familiar with. This book shows the humanity behind the cultural identity.

Summary:
This book is about a young boy named Ahmed. He has a daily duty of delivering gas for cooking to customers all around Cairo. On this day, he absolutely can’t wait to get home to his parents, because he has a big secret to tell him. When it is finally time to go home, he shows his parent that he has learned to write his name. I really enjoyed this book. It shows that patience is a necessity in life and most things are well worth the wait.

Personal Reaction:
I did not enjoy this book. The author doesn’t describe Ahmed how I would have hoped. During the story he just feels really lonely. I didn’t get a sense of who Ahmed was. The book described the scene more than the character.

Classroom Extension Ideas:
1. This could begin a lesson on Egypt. We would discuss the history of the pyramids, Pharaohs, the Sphinx, and other features of Egypt.
2. This could begin a unit on cultures. Since Egypt is said to be a Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, and North African country, we could start learning about the diversities between the three.

Beautifully illustrated, this story is set in modern bustling Cairo. Young Ahmed rides his donkey
cart up streets crowded with cars and donkeys, down alley ways filled with merchants' stalls, and past buildings a thousand years old. The sights and sounds of the city fill the day, and when at last Ahmed hurries home, young readers will be excited to hear the secret Ahmed has been waiting to share with his family -- he has learned to write his name.

Ahmed delivers fuel to customers all over his city, Cairo. Though out his busy, noisy day, all that he can think about is the secret that he cannot wait to share with his family once his day is done.

This is a wonderful book to read when talking about setting in a story. The author takes us through the sights, smells, and sounds of a busy market in Cairo. We feel the hustle and bustle as we watch Ahmed go through his day. All the while, he holds a secret close to his heart and reveals it to us, and his family, on the very last page.

This beautifully illustrated picture book follows a day in the life of a hard working young boy in Cairo. As he delivers bottles of butane gas with his donkey cart he encounters many different people and scenes from the city. I use this lovely book as a supplement to a study of Egypt for young children.

A good book. I would recommend it for 4th-6th graders.

This book is about a little boy in India and the work he does each day in the city and what he thinks of city. Throughout the whole story he has a secret that he can't wait to share at the end of the day when he returns home after work. At the end you find out that his secret is that he has learned to write his name which is kind of funny because he was out working all day and then is so excited about being able to write his name it makes me think how old is this kid and it tells you alot about other countries ways.

I liked this book!

could read this book if a new kid from india moves to your school or maybe just discuss the differences of India cultures from American cultures.

Everything that Newton draws with his red crayon turns real, he finds that his crayon is magic! For instance, he draws a race car, boots, and finally an airplane which he flies out of the house! This would be a fun story to tell your class and it would also get them to look outside the box.