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Aziz: the story teller by Vi Hughes, illustrated by Stefan Czernecki Times Education Supplement 1 November, 2002 , by: Jane Doonan Recommended because this enchanting children's book tells a tale of a young boy who loves stories; a weary old man wishing to pass on his magic; and a small faded carpet exchanged for a donkey. This story weaves itself in and out of carpets, marketplaces, tales and magic, succeeding in creating a tapestry to delight children and adults alike. Vi Hughes is well equipped to write this tale, being a parent, educator and student of children's literature. Stefan Czernecki is an acclaimed children's books illustrator, and adds visual impact to Aziz the Storyteller through his apt illustrations. -- Teach Global Education Ohio State University, Reviewed by: Melek Oyman, 02/08/2004Retold by Fiona Waters Illustrated by Fabian Negrin Pavilion Children's Books £14.99 Aziz, son of a poor rugmaker in the Middle East, is the presiding genius of the selection of tales retold by Vi Hughes. Aziz discovers that a storyteller's life has many rewards when he exchanges the family donkey for an old, small carpet - the kind that comes in handy in a primary classroom, with all the stories of the world woven into it. Hughes unravels his adventure in a picturebook of modest size and elegant design, with light ochre paper stock and each opening formally bordered in scarlet or dark ochre. Stefan Czernecki's apparently effortless calligraphic black lines carry the flat images: simple to the point of semi-abstraction, unstereotypical, and very beguiling. - by Jane Doonan, TES Editorial, 1 November, 2002 Poor Aziz. A day-dreaming youth who works with his father selling rugs in an ancient-looking Arabian marketplace, Aziz never manages to be the industrious son his father wishes he were. "If you do not help me," Aziz's father implores daily, "who will provide for me when I am old?" One day, while surveying the market trying to find potential customers for rugs, Aziz is taken up by the tales of an old storyteller who has wandered into town. Aziz stands all day, listening to story after story, as do many other passers by, who toss the old man coin after coin for the quality and enchantment of his stories. When Aziz returns to his father, he is scolded for his negligence. The next day, Aziz's father is too sick to go to the marketplace and sends Aziz there alone. Once again, Aziz becomes so absorbed by the old storyteller's fables, he sells nothing that day. But before the old man leaves that night, he offers to exchange his rug, which he claims is magical, for Aziz's mule. "All the stories of the world are woven into it, tale upon tale. They will be yours to tell, for you are a storyteller too," the old man says. Aziz accepts the offer. His father, upon hearing of the transaction, is underwhelmed by the "bargain" Aziz has struck. Needless to say, everything turns out wonderfully well in the end. For that matter, Aziz the Storyteller is a wonderfully fun read. And with simple lines that thicken and thin, and figures patterned after basic geometric forms, Stefan Czernecki's illustrations, inked on parchment-colored paper, lend his illustrations a guileless directness, full of feeling, dramatically staged. Recommended. --Tom Bowden is Contributing Book Review Editor to The Education Digest The Education Digest, May 2002 "Aziz the Storyteller" is about telling stories and listening to the wisdom of history. Aziz is scolded by his father for listening to tales in the marketplace, instead of helping with the family business. In this story set in the Middle East, a boy disobeys his father in order to give him a present better than obedience. -- BC Bookworld, Summer 2002 Storytelling principal weaves poetic fable by Naoibh O'Connor-Staff writer In her debut for children, Hughes crafts a convincing tale to explain the storyteller's art and its transmission from one generation to the next. Tea-stained pages provide the backdrop for Czernecki's (Huevos Rancheros, not reviewed, etc.) heavy, black-ink line drawings which depict Aziz as he enters the marketplace with his aging father. There to sell carpets, Aziz collects stories instead. "If you do not help me," says his father, "who will provide for me when I am old?" Despite his best intentions, Aziz fails to make any sales. Then, one day, the storyteller approaches: " 'Will you trade your donkey for this enchanted rug?' " he asks. When the storyteller explains that the carpet, into which "all the stories of the world are woven," will allow him to support his father through storytelling, Aziz agrees to the trade. But when his father voices his disapproval Aziz returns to the market to find the storyteller and undo the deal. Unsuccessful, Aziz does the only thing he can: he unrolls the carpet and rests. To his surprise, the carpet unravels story after story, crowds gather, and coins rain down from the heavens. Even his father hears his stories and joyfully accepts Aziz's new vocation. Hughes draws the story to its natural conclusion as Aziz travels westward and eventually passes the carpet along to a younger storyteller, just as he was instructed to do so many years ago. It's a good yarn, the only flaw being the design: modeled after Arabic lettering, the stylized print-accented and punctuated in red-strains the eye. (Picture book. 5-8) -- Kirkus Reviews May 15, 2002 Books representing an Islamic perspective garner a lot of interest these days, and Aziz the Storyteller draws on that interest in both its subject matter and its presentation. Though it's an original story, this book reads like a tale from the Arabian nights'. The book's design is striking: the title is hand-lettered in an Arabic script. The text itself is presented in a two-colour font that suggests Eastern calligraphy, which, though it's beautiful, (might be) difficult for a child to read. -- Quill and Quire May 2002 |
