Turkey

Review: Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant by Tony Cliff

| Tasha

delilah dirk

Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant by Tony Cliff

Released August 27, 2013.

Enter a new heroine who is funny, adept and can kick your butt.  Delilah Dirk comes crashing into the life of Selim, the Turkish Lieutenant and merrily takes over his world.  Delilah has adventured all around the world and is now looking to steal some valuable ancient scrolls from a Sultan in Constantinople.  With her flying boat, she saves Selim from certain death.  Then it is on to more adventures, including evading pirates, jumping off a disintegrating aqueduct, and fighting everyone who is after her, and everyone is.  Delilah loves the freedom and action of her life on the road, but Selim craves quiet times with friends.  Readers on the other hand will love Delilah and Selim both as well as the humor and adventure that make this one rollicking read.

Cliff has created a wonderful heroine.  She manages to be feminine and dashing at the same time.  Her outfit is skirted and flowing but not confining.  It reveals her beauty, but not her endowments.  She is great fun and the role reversal of the man who is the reluctant adventurer and the woman who adores it turns stereotypes on their heads.  The story both honors tradition with its setting in Turkey, but also adds a lot of new flavors like the flying boat.  It makes for a book that is filled with surprises.

A great pick for graphic novel fans and those just discovering the genre.  Delilah is a heroine who will take you on an amazing adventure.  Let’s hope there are many more to come!  Appropriate for ages 10-14.

Reviewed from copy received from First Second.

Review: A Donkey Reads by Muriel Mandell

| Tasha

donkey reads

A Donkey Reads by Muriel Mandell, illustrated by Andre Letria

This adaptation of a Turkish folktale features Nasreddin Hoca, a 13th-century teacher, judge and imam whose writings are well known in the Middle East.  This is the story of a village in Anatolia that was conquered by the Mongols.  The Mongol leader demanded that every family pay tribute, but one family had only a worthless donkey to offer the leader.  When the Mongol leader reacts with fury at the tribute, Nasreddin speaks up and tells the him that the donkey is worth something, in fact Nasreddin will teach the donkey to read.  Everyone is shocked, but Nasreddin is calm and confident that it will happen.  The ending will have reader giggling at the humor and courage of Nasreddin’s solution.

Mandell has adapted this tale with a great feel for storytelling.  Her pacing is adept and her wording easy to share aloud.  The tale is universal in its appeal, thanks in particular to the humor that pervades it.  The end of the book has a page where the story of Nasreddin is shared with the reader.  It’s a trickster tale with only a donkey as an animal.

Letria’s art is filled with textures and colors.  The pages have backgrounds that are rough with brushstrokes, peeling and colors.  They add a feeling of age to the book, giving it a strong organic quality as well.  The characters pop on the page, especially Nasreddin with his towering headwear.  The illustrations add a great appeal to the story.

A window into another world of folktales that many of us have not experienced, this book offers plenty of humor and an appealing package.  Appropriate for ages 5-8.

Reviewed from library copy.

Also reviewed by Planet Esme.