King of the Skies

By Rukhsana Khan

Illustrated by Laura Fernandez & Rick Jacobsen

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A Picture Book

Published in Canada by Scholastic Inc.

32 pg, Hardcover

$19.99 CDN

ISBN 0-439-98725-3

A.R. Quiz # 65017

A.R. Reading Level 3.4

A.R. points 0.5

The "King of the Skies" is a young boy living in Lahore, Pakistan. All year he has waited for the kite festival, Basunt, which is held in early February to celebrate the arrival of spring. The boy narrates the dramatic tale of his beautiful yellow kite he names "Guddi Chore" or Kite Thief. Above the rooftops of the city, the kites battle, and the boy can cut "free" another kite with the twine of his kite which as been "sharpened" with powdered glass. All day his sister and brother scoop up fallen kites for the "King" as he is unable to walk or run. Then the boy hears a girl who has lost her kite crying below, and he lofts one his newly acquired kites down to her on the darkening city street. At the end of the day, the "King of the Skies" celebrates his triumphs with his family as he eagerly looks forward to the festival the next year.

In this beautiful and satisfying story, Guddi Chore embodies the boy's spirit which soars with the thrills and action of the kite battles. School-age children will enjoy hearing this well-told story of sharing, determination and joy. The story's eloquence is matched by the elegant book design and luminous oil paintings by the award winning couple, Laura Fernandez and Rick Jacobson. The paintings present changing perspectives on the festival with views above and below the kites and the children. This approach gives a strong sense of the movement and excitement of the day. The bright kite shapes crowd and flutter across the softly colored sky and stand out because of their contrast. Each full-page colour painting faces the text placed on a tall buff colored background shape. The text page is decorated with a swash capital and decorative elements which are reminiscent of traditional manuscript design.

This book is full of striking contrasts. It is a contemporary story structured around a traditional festival in which the flight and motion of the kites contrast with the boy's disability, and the image of the bright kites in the daytime sky later becomes a night scene of twinkling stars. Rukhsana Khan has written several other sensitive and thoughtful books, including Muslim Child: A Collection of Short Stories and Poems (Napoleon, 1999) and The Roses in My Carpets (Stoddart, 1998).

"Books have the power to take us to places we've never been, to allow us to participate vicariously in events of which we otherwise may never be aware. King of the Skies is an excellent example of a story which carries the reader to another place, just as the breezes above Lahore carry the kite Guddi Chore high over the rooftops. The little boy who created Guddi Chore is striving to be the best kite fighter during Basunt, a springtime festival in Pakistan. Rukhsana Khan drew on her own experiences to tell the story of a small boy, his sister and brother, as they cooperate in the day-long capture of kites. But it isn't all about aerial battles, or getting the better of neighbourhood bullies in the open space above the crowded streets. The young hero, confined to a wheelchair, gains a sense of freedom and serenity from the knowledge that his kite-making and kite-fighting skills have allowed him to fly. King of the Skies also highlights the values of working togehter, as the three siblings amass a collection of gorgeous kites. And, from his vantage point on a high rooftop, the kite fighter sees a solitary little girl, tearful and without a kite of her own. As he wordlessly releases a kite into the light breeze, a generous boy backs away from the parapet. Anonymous gift-giving is sweet. The illustrating team of Laura Fernandez and Rick Jacobsen have created a series of beautiful oil paintings. They traveled to Pakistan in order to ensure faithful representations of people and scenes. The texture and richness of the illustrations add to the immediacy of the text. The author's informational note at the end of the book will add to readers' understanding and enjoyment. Children and adults will find this book fascinating, because the setting is unfamiliar to most of us. At the same time, readers will be able to relate to their own experiences of making or flying kites. Reading this book may even inspire some to try kite-flying for the first time. King of the Skies will be an excellent addition to a collection of books about celebrations around the world. The book may also spark conversations about children with diverse abilities, or how children live in other countries."