Yaffa and Fatima: Shalom, Salaam

by Fawzia Gilani-Williams, Chiara Fedele (Illustrator)

Overview

Two neighbors—one Jewish, one Muslim—have always been best friends. When they both fall on hard times, can they find a way to help each other? In Fawzia Gilani's retelling of this folktale—which has both Jewish and Arab origins—differences are not always causes for conflict and friendship can overcome any obstacle.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781467794237
Publisher:	Lerner Publishing Group
Publication date:	01/01/2017
Pages:	24
Product dimensions:	10.10(w) x 8.70(h) x 0.10(d)
Lexile:	AD530L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Fawzia Gilani was born and raised in England where she became a teacher. She is the author of many children's books and an international educational consultant with a PhD in children's literature and character development. She is a Global Representative for the International Positive Education Network and works for the Abu Dhabi Education Council. She spends her time in the United Arab Emirates, Ohio, and England with her daughter and husband.

Chiara Fedele was born in Milan, where she attended the Brera Academy. Her illustrations have appeared in many picture books, including Yaffa and Fatima: Shalom, Salaam and The Rabbi and the Reverend: Joachim Prinz, Martin Luther King Jr., and Their Fight Against Silence. Chiara also teaches drawing and painting techniques. She lives in Pavia, Italy.

Editorial Reviews

"Yaffa and Fatima are neighbors in the Land of Milk and Honey, where each tends her own date grove.
Every day they pick and sell their dates, cook and share tasty foods, and pray to God—Yaffa in the
synagogue and Fatima in the mosque. When hard times come, they worry about the other’s welfare, and
when they realize that each has been secretly sharing with the other, they are grateful for their friendship.
Inspired by traditional Jewish and Arab tales that usually feature brothers, as in Neil Waldman’s The Two
Brothers: A Legend of Jerusalem (1997), this female-oriented story is told in folkloric style, adding a
multicultural emphasis not present in the originals. Yaffa and Fatima both observe their own cultural and
linguistic traditions, but that never prevents them from appreciating their differences and caring about the
other. Fedele’s artwork features earth tones (appropriate to the arid climate) accented in teal (for Yaffa)
and red (for Fatima). A timeless story, this tale makes its point without ever becoming didactic."
―Booklist Online

From the Publisher

2017-02-04
In this retelling of a tale rooted in both Jewish and Arab traditions, two neighbors are friends despite perceived religious tensions of the community.Yaffa and Fatima both own date groves right next door to each other. They share meals and talk and laugh. When Fatima sees Yaffa on the street, she waves and calls, "Salaam! Peace!" Yaffa waves back and calls, "Shalom! Peace!" The text becomes a list of differences between the two women. Yaffa prays in a synagogue. Fatima prays in a mosque. Fatima celebrates Eid. Yaffa celebrates Passover. Fatima is clad in a burgundy hijab, while Jaffa has a deep teal headscarf. Those two colors, set against a neutral backdrop, lightly accent the women's everyday surroundings as well. The tones are carefully placed to distinguish the two women but are also included in ancillary details to begin to build a feeling of unity. Gilani-Williams never distinctly references any conflict—in fact, even the Israeli setting is not specifically mentioned, only to call it the "Land of Milk and Honey." But readers can tell, because differences very much define the women's relationship, that they are overcoming some sort of obstacle in being friends. A subtle, visually arresting introduction to ethnic relations. (author's note) (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews