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Traveling Man
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From: Ginny Moore Kruse <gmkruse>
Date: Wed, 05 Dec 2001 13:45:35 -0600
There are many ways in which authors document their source material. Chapter notes or other more standard means of documentation aren't the only possibilities.
I'm thinking here about the documentation in the handsome, intriguing book "Traveling Man: The Journey of Ibn Battuta, 132554" written and illustrated by James Rumford (Houghton Mifflin).
According to a note at the end of this unusual 36-page book, in 1355 Ibn Battuta narrated an account of his 35 years of traveling almost 75,000 miles from Morocco throughout parts of Asia and Africa. His scribe then was Ibn Juzayy, who was the Moroccan court secretary. Readers are informed that Juzayy's handwritten Arabic book can be seen at the National Library in Paris.
The lengthy English version of this account by H. Gibb is documented.
Rumford takes responsibility for his own brief English adaptation of the original Arabic text for this children's book.
In addition to noting the author/artist's proficiency in Arabic, Persian and Chinese, readers find out that Rumford is familiar with Islamic mapmaking. He's also versed in "Arabic calligraphy, which he studied from a master while in Afghanistan many years ago." Information about the author's authority is on the back jacket flap, which - alas - will be lost to some future young readers, because the jacket simply won't be on the book they hold in their hands.
"Traveling Man" is a highly visual book with gorgeous paintings, inventively designed pages with glorious combinations of colors, the opportunity to see occasional snatches of three languages other than English, and a chance to read about yet another type of survivor.
"Traveling - it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller." Yes, and it's great to be able to find out about part of Ibn Battuta's incredible story.
Has anyone read this book aloud?
Ginny Moore Kruse gmkruse at education.wisc.edu Director, Cooperative Children's Book Center www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/ A Library of the School of Education, University of Wisconsin Madison
Received on Wed 05 Dec 2001 01:45:35 PM CST
Date: Wed, 05 Dec 2001 13:45:35 -0600
There are many ways in which authors document their source material. Chapter notes or other more standard means of documentation aren't the only possibilities.
I'm thinking here about the documentation in the handsome, intriguing book "Traveling Man: The Journey of Ibn Battuta, 132554" written and illustrated by James Rumford (Houghton Mifflin).
According to a note at the end of this unusual 36-page book, in 1355 Ibn Battuta narrated an account of his 35 years of traveling almost 75,000 miles from Morocco throughout parts of Asia and Africa. His scribe then was Ibn Juzayy, who was the Moroccan court secretary. Readers are informed that Juzayy's handwritten Arabic book can be seen at the National Library in Paris.
The lengthy English version of this account by H. Gibb is documented.
Rumford takes responsibility for his own brief English adaptation of the original Arabic text for this children's book.
In addition to noting the author/artist's proficiency in Arabic, Persian and Chinese, readers find out that Rumford is familiar with Islamic mapmaking. He's also versed in "Arabic calligraphy, which he studied from a master while in Afghanistan many years ago." Information about the author's authority is on the back jacket flap, which - alas - will be lost to some future young readers, because the jacket simply won't be on the book they hold in their hands.
"Traveling Man" is a highly visual book with gorgeous paintings, inventively designed pages with glorious combinations of colors, the opportunity to see occasional snatches of three languages other than English, and a chance to read about yet another type of survivor.
"Traveling - it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller." Yes, and it's great to be able to find out about part of Ibn Battuta's incredible story.
Has anyone read this book aloud?
Ginny Moore Kruse gmkruse at education.wisc.edu Director, Cooperative Children's Book Center www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/ A Library of the School of Education, University of Wisconsin Madison
Received on Wed 05 Dec 2001 01:45:35 PM CST
