Four Feet, Two Sandals

Four Feet, Two Sandals
By Karen Lynn Williams and Khadra Mohammed
Illustrated by Doug Chayka
Eerdmans, 2007

In the middle of the War on Terror, there are stories that need to be told. But not about war. But about hope in the middle of the fear. Four Feet, Two Sandals is such a story. It is set in a refugee camp, in Peshawar, a city on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. It is a fictitious story, but one that represents the friendship and hope in refugee camps worldwide.

In the refugee camp, clothing is being distributed to the masses. Little was left by the time Lina arrived. She managed to get one sandal, but she couldn’t find the match. But she wore the one she had. Soon she meets Feroza, the wearer of the other sandal. They become fast friends. Feroza offers the matching sandal to Lina. Instead of each wearing one sandal, they decide to share them, each wearing the set every other day. The sandals bring these two girls together and they stay friends.

Lina soon finds out her family will be relocating to America to start a new life. They have been given a fresh start. Much like a friendship necklace, split apart in the middle, where each friend wears one half, the girls each take a sandal, hoping to meet again.

The paintings in this book are not full of detail, but almost hazy—like the desert sun. But they depict the landscape well. An author’s note at the back gives more detail about the refugee camp.

Karen Lynn Williams co-authored this book. She is also the author of another favorite of mine, When Africa Was Home.

This book has been nominated for in the fiction picture book category for the Cybils.

Teachers Guide available

Multicultural Fairy Tales

We’ve always known that fairy tales came from many different cultures, but somehow Disney has managed to make every familiar fairy tale seem Caucasian and European in descent. Two of my new favorite fairy tales bring other cultures and races back into the fairy tale tradition where they belong.

Glass Slipper, Gold Sandal
By Paul Fleischman
Illustrated by Julie Paschkis
Henry Holt, 2007

This picture book is like none I have ever seen. Paul Fleischman takes Cinderella stories from 17 countries and weaves them into one. Each story contributes a paragraph, or a few lines, but the story continues, moving from version to version. The illustrations are done with the same style, in an almost tapestry-like story telling style. However, each culture’s unique flavor is represented in the paintings, just like in the story itself. The illustrations contain the name of the culture or country of origin.

In some cases, Fleischman shows off several versions on one page. For instance, he refers to Cinderella’s beautiful gown as a “sarong make of gold” (Indonesia), a “cloak sewn of king-fisher feathers” (China), and “ a kimono red as sunset” (Japan). Her footwear is “a pair of glass slippers” (France), “diamond anklets” (India), “sandals of gold” (Iraq).

For children in our American society who only know the Disney version of Cinderella, this is a book that will broaden their horizons and their interpretation of the Cinderella story.

Little Red Riding Hood
Retold and illustrated by Jerry Pinkney
Little, Brown, 2007

I spotted this picture book retelling of Little Red Riding Hood on a recent trip to a used bookstore. It was in perfect condition, and obviously wasn’t very used since it was just published this fall. I knew as soon as I saw the illustrations, I wanted to buy the book. Jerry Pinkney’s detail in his illustrations is second to none. I purchased his version of Noah’s Ark for my daughter when it first came out.

The story itself is very close to the Grimm Brothers version—including the woodcutter cutting open the wolf who had swallowed the grandmother. Some children’s versions I have read have not included this gruesome detail, but I like that Pinkney kept this detail.

Pinkney has made his Little Red Riding Hood an African American girl. What makes this unique is that the story is still true to the Grimms’ version. Other versions I have read with non-Caucasian Red Riding Hoods have also been different versions of the tales (for example, Lon Po Po by Ed Young). Pinkney’s retelling and illustrations would make an excellent addition to any fairy tale collection.