No. of pages 32
Published: 2014
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This book is the winner of numerous awards
There are 32 pages in this book. This book was published in 2014 by World Wisdom Books .
Jacqueline Jules is a former school librarian and the award-winning author of 40 children's books, including Zapato Power: Freddie Ramos Takes Off (CYBILS Literary Award), Unite or Die: How Thirteen States Became a Nation (Library of Virginia Cardozo Award), Benjamin and the Silver Goblet (Sydney Taylor Honor Award), Duck for Turkey Day (NCSS Notable Book), Never Say a Mean Word Again (Aesop Prize Accolade, Sydney Taylor Honor Book), and Sofia Martinez: My Family Adventure (NAPPA Silver Award winner, 2016 Bank Street College best books list). She lives in Arlington Virginia. Visit www. jacquelinejules. com. Durga Yael Bernhard is an award-winning illustrator and author of many fiction and non-fiction books for children, including concept books, natural science titles, and multicultural folktales. She is also a fine artist known for her religious and family-oriented themes, and a children's teacher of Hebrew, Judaic Studies, and art. She lives in New York's Hudson Valley.
This book has been nominated for the following awards:
Middle East Book Award - Picture Book
This book was recognised in the Picture Book category by the Middle East Book Award.
National Jewish Book Award - Illustrated
This book was recognised in the Illustrated category by the National Jewish Book Award.
Sydney Taylor Book Award - Younger Readers
This book was recognised in the Younger Readers category by the Sydney Taylor Book Award.
Inspired by a legend about a Jewish vizier who advised the Muslim ruler of medieval Spain, this story tells of a conundrum faced by a boy named Samuel and the counterintuitive wisdom of his father, the vizier. After Samuel accidentally offends Hamza, the tax collector's son, and incurs endures his rage ('Donkey Brain! Stupid! Look what you did!'), Samuel's father instructs him, 'Make sure Hamza never says a mean word to you again.' With illuminating details-such as the boys' headwear, backdrops of thick stone walls or heavy wooden doors, geometric patterns in mauves and browns, and a vine and flower motif-Bernhard's (Around the World in One Shabbat) illustrations convey an elegant, multicultural castle environment. Energy and movement infuse the paintings, which humorously render Samuel's contemplated strategies ('Maybe he could train a monkey to sit on Hamza's shoulders. The monkey could clamp Hamza's lips shut'). Jules's (the Zapato Power series) down-to-earth narrative communicates Samuel's subtle internal transformation as the unexpected, amusing, and touching outcomes of his attempts to obey his father turn a power struggle into a budding friendship. Ages 4-8. Publishers Weekly A story of bullying, acceptance, and friendship, Never Say a Mean Word Again is a delightful account of turning meanness and rudeness into kindness and friendship... A moral tale of friendship, Never Say a Mean Word Again: A Tale from Medieval Spain, has an admirable story guided by marvelous illustrations that will inspire children and adults. Foreword Reviews