Grade 1-4 Yasmin and her sister are brick chippers in the noisy, crowded city of Dhaka, Bangladesh. Each day as Yasmin breaks up bricks to be made into concrete, and as her father pedals his rickshaw and her mother irons and sweeps in a rich man's house, she dreams of going to school. She resolves to swing her hammer extra hard and saves her meagre coins to purchase a precious book, which no one in her family can read. Her determination inspires her parents her father finds a second route, and her mother begins making baskets to sell for extra money. And at long last, Yasmin's dream comes true one day her father pedals her and her sister to school. A bleak situation becomes a powerful tale of hope through Yasmin's passion and determination. Malaspina tells the tale in graceful, straightforward language, describing the overwhelming sounds of the city with the precision of a child's eye. Chayka's glowing oil paintings capture the bright colours of Dhaka and the cruelty of the brickyard where Yasmin and her sister work in the blinding sun as the boss lounges under an umbrella. Neither text nor illustrations gloss over the hardships the girls experience, but also do not dwell on them instead, the focus remains firmly on Yasmin's dreams and her resolve to achieve them. Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Carroll County Public Library, MD
Copyright é Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Grade 1-4 Yasmin and her sister are brick chippers in the noisy, crowded city of Dhaka, Bangladesh. Each day as Yasmin breaks up bricks to be made into concrete, and as her father pedals his rickshaw and her mother irons and sweeps in a rich man's house, she dreams of going to school. She resolves to swing her hammer extra hard and saves her meagre coins to purchase a precious book, which no one in her family can read. Her determination inspires her parents her father finds a second route, and her mother begins making baskets to sell for extra money. And at long last, Yasmin's dream comes true one day her father pedals her and her sister to school. A bleak situation becomes a powerful tale of hope through Yasmin's passion and determination. Malaspina tells the tale in graceful, straightforward language, describing the overwhelming sounds of the city with the precision of a child's eye. Chayka's glowing oil paintings capture the bright colours of Dhaka and the cruelty of the brickyard where Yasmin and her sister work in the blinding sun as the boss lounges under an umbrella. Neither text nor illustrations gloss over the hardships the girls experience, but also do not dwell on them instead, the focus remains firmly on Yasmin's dreams and her resolve to achieve them. Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Carroll County Public Library, MD
Copyright é Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Ann Malaspina is the author of more than fifteen nonfiction books for young people. Her interest in equal rights and social change often leads her to write about people struggling on the margins of society to improve their quality of life. She was inspired to write Yasmin's Hammer after traveling in South Asia and reading news reports about young workers in Bangladesh. Malaspina lives with her family in northern New Jersey. Her website is annmalaspina.com.
Doug Chayka has illustrated several picture books, including Four Feet, Two Sandals, chosen as a Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People and a Notable Book for a Global Society. Chayka has taught illustration at Pratt Institute and currently teaches at Ringling College of Art. His work has also been displayed in the Society of Illustrators Best of Children's Book Art exhibit. Chayka and his wife live in Sarasota, Florida. His Web site is dougchayka.com.
"A bleak situation becomes a powerful tale of hope..." -- School
Library Journal "This is an inspirational story of a young girl who
is determined to go to school and learn to read.... Colorful
illustrations and rich descriptions bring Dhaka, the Bangladeshi
capital, and the sisters' story to life." -- Skipping Stones
Magazine "Illustrated with Doug Chaka's signature impressionistic
style, this new book offers young learners a revealing look at the
working and living conditions of the most vulnerable of the poor.
The optimistic tone and child's point of view help to make Yasmin's
Hammer accessible to young readers who may otherwise not identify
with the topic. Teachers and parents will find the book a useful
resource for talking about child labor and the value of an
education." -- Rutgers University Project on Economics and
ChildrenAsian/Pacific American Award for Literature Winner -
Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA)Best
Children's Books of the Year - Bank Street College of Education
Horace Mann Upstanders Children's Literature Award Honor - Antioch
University
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