Customer Reviews

The Storytellers

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Ted Lewin's "Storytellers" is just another in a long line of Lewin miracles. I am always so taken with his storytelling skills, not to mention the astonishing illustrations he does.

This is the tale of Abdul and his grandfather, Moroccans who spend their time sitting just outside the town of Fez, entertaining crowds with stories. As they walk from home to their destination near the town gate, Abdul observes other citizens hard at work and he consistently notes that he and his grandfather have much better jobs than the poor folks who are either tanning leather or beating metal into bowls or weaving rugs. They arrive, finally, are seated, and Abdul tosses a bird into the air--his grandfather's cue to launch into a magical story with the Arab version of "Once upon a time" (it translates to "There was, or there was not"--what a charming way to launch into a story!).

Lewin captures all the heat, the saturated color, the movement, and the light of Morocco in these amazingly detailed watercolors. The book is a fortuitous dovetailing of excellent, absorbing story and a feast for the eyes. Highly recommended to adults and children alike!

This is designed to be read to very young children, who will enjoy investigating all the illustrations of life in Fez. Every age will get to see the vision of life in al maghreb, Morocco, in ways they have never seen before, beginning with the call of the mu'ezzin which you can almost hear. I loved how Abdul was not tagging along with his grandfather, on "Bring the Grandkid to work today"- he was involved as part of the work of his Grandfather, on a level that a child could complete, and integral to that work. At the end Lewin includes the sad information of how few of the true storytellers are left. That is a shame. A good story is always better than the best TV show. It creates imagination.

This gentle tale with beautiful illustrations tells the story of a young boy and his grandfather who carry on the tradition of storytelling in the market place in Fez, Morocco. A splendid book for showing present day Morocco to young people!

Teachers/Librarians: Kindergarten to 7th grade!