Tradewind Books

The Mouse Who Saved Egypt

by Karim Alrawi

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Description

See how a small kindness can be repaid a thousand times over. In this retelling of an ancient MIddle Eastern folk tale, Karim Alrawi follows up his best-selling The Girl Who Lost Her Smile with another classic fable.

Reviews

"With many primary schools returning to topic based learning it's helpful to find some new fiction to support a theme. This simple but humorous tale with illustrations of temples, the sphinx, landscapes and everyday life would not only support a study of ancient Egypt but also provide links to other areas of the curriculum." - School Librarian

"The text is well supported by the rich two-page illustrations in mixed media. The images show the vastness and beauty of the Egyptian desert, as well as details of ancient culture in art, food, architecture and religion. Recommended." - Resource Links

"The image of small creatures defeating the powerful is always gratifying, as is the book’s thoughtful portrayal of Egyptian cultural themes." - Publishers Weekly

"Alrawi’s language is as timeless as the tale he tells. Illustrator Bee Willey’s generous spreads whisk readers away to the sun-bleached deserts and cool blue stones of ancient Egypt. The message of the tale – faith in the reciprocity of good deeds – is presented in an elegant and functional manner. It assures little ones: do something good, and one day you’ll be rewarded for your kindness." - Quill & Quire

"Bee Willey's sun-drenched illustrations show ancient Egypt in all of its splendor. Karim Alrawi's storytelling has the straightforward simplicity of an Aesop fable." Canadian Review of Materials

"Egyptian-born Karim Alrawi narrates a captivating ancient Middle Eastern folk tale in an unadorned, yet engaging, manner. His voice is that of a storyteller, capturing the mystique and the grandeur of the land and its people. Bee Willey's double-paged digital artwork educates as well as entertains. Readers will be fascinated not only by the ancient Egyptian panorama, but also with the architecture, customs, clothing and communication of this venerable civilization. This delightful teaching tale exemplifies what a big difference a little bit of kindness can make." - Canadian Children's Books News

"The ideas of even the smallest of us having the potential to be heroic or kindess being a gift that's always returned would promote some lively discussion. ... This book would make a very useful resource for classes studying ancient Egypt or be an interesting group reading choice. ... Perhaps, like me, they will want to discover if there really is a golden mouse in a temple near the Sphinx." - School Librarian journal

Author Biography

Karim Alrawi was born and raised in Alexandria, Egypt. He has over 30 professionally produced plays to his credit and has won many national and international awards for his writing, including the prestigious John Whiting Award. He was writer-in-residence at the Theatre Royal Stratford East in the UK and at the Meadow Brook Theatre in the USA. He has also supervised international aid and development programs in Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia. Karim now lives in Vancouver, BC.

Illustrator Biography

Bee Willey lives in England with her husband and two children. She has illustrated over twenty children's books published internationally including The Zoo At Night for Tradewind Books. Her book Bob Robber and Dancing Jane was shortlisted for the prestigious Kate Greenaway prize.