The Hundredth Name

Oppenheim, Shulamith Levey

ISBN 10: 1563971836 ISBN 13: 9781563971839

Publisher: Boyds Mills Press, 1995

Synopsis

To help his depressed camel, Qadlim, Salah, a Muslim boy prays to Allah for assistance, in a lyrical story that evokes village life along the Nile and captures a youngster's faith.

About this title

About the Author:

Shulamath Levey Oppenheim is the author of I Love You, Bunny Rabbit, illustrated by Cyd Moore (Boyds Mills Press, 1995), and Iblis, illustrated by Ed Young (Little Brown, 1994). She lives in Amherst, Massachusetts.

Michael Hays has illustrated many acclaimed books for children, including Abiyoyo by Pete Seeger (Macmillan, 1994), and The Boy Who Loved Morning by Shannon K. Jacobs (Little, Brown, 1993). He lives in Chicago, Illinois.

From School Library Journal:

Kindergarten-Grade 3?Set in a Muslim village in Egypt, this tale of friendship and faith is warm and satisfying. Salah lives in a mud-brick house on the banks of the Nile. Contented with his own life, he feels sad because his beloved camel, Qadiim, always seems so solemn and unhappy. Father does not understand the boy's concern for an animal he thinks of as an "...obstinate, stupid, ugly beast," but he comforts his son. He explains that mortals must learn to live knowing only 99 names for Allah, when it is the 100th name that is most important. That night, Salah thinks about his father's words, deciding that Qadiim should be told the 100th name. Outside, beneath the moon, he unrolls his father's prayer rug and makes his first prayer to Allah. In the morning, Qadiim stands tall and proud, wearing a look of "infinite wisdom." Told with sincerity and dignity, this tale skillfully weaves together cultural and religious images. The plot is filled with details of everyday life, and many descriptive phrases are tied to the landscape. With their textures, patterns, and muted color scheme, Hays's handsome acrylic-on-linen illustrations create a strong sense of place. Smaller, more detailed insets sometimes accompany the larger paintings, and the visual story unrolls with the grace and serenity of Father's prayer rug.?Joy Fleishhacker, New York Public Library
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Boyds Mills Press
• Publication date: 1995
• ISBN 10: 1563971836
• ISBN 13: 9781563971839
• Binding: Library Binding
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Hays Michael