Book Review of WHAT ABOUT ME?

Bibliography:

Young, Ed. 2002. What about me? Ill. by Ed Young. New York: Philomel Books. ISBN0399236244


Plot Summary:

Ed Young retells the Sufi tale of a young boy and his quest for knowledge. The young boy asks the Grand Master for help in obtaining knowledge, and the Grand Master requests the boy bring him a carpet for his work. The boy sets off to obtain a carpet, and he discovers that each person he asks for help has his or her own need that he must meet. He ultimately obtains the carpet for the Grand Master only to be told that he already has the knowledge he seeks.


Critical Analysis:

Reading Ed Young’s retelling of What About Me? silently does not do this book justice. True to its origin as a Sufi tale handed down for thousands of years, this story is one that is meant to be read aloud. It is only through an oral reading that the cadence of the story is apparent, and the boy’s quest for knowledge comes to life. As the boy moves from person to person, the reader is engaged by the interactions that take place, and he/she wants to join in the repetition of the phrase, “What about me?” Everyone has experienced this feeling, and it feels good to have an opportunity to voice it.

Like many traditional tales, the plot involves a quest with obstacles encountered along the way. What About Me? follows a boy’s search for knowledge. In order to obtain knowledge, he must fulfill a series of requests from the Grand Master, the carpet maker, the spinner woman, and several other individuals he meets on his journey. Each time he tries to fill one person’s request, he is told, “What about me (and my needs)?” For example, when he asks the goat keeper for goat hair for the spinner woman, the goat keeper responds, “Your needs! The others’ needs! What about me? You need goat hair to buy knowledge - I need goats to provide hair! Get me some goats and I will help you.” Despite the many requests, the boy finally obtains a carpet for the Grand Master.

The humorous ending to the tale reinforces the idea that often what we are seeking, we already have. When the young boy presents the carpet to the Grand Master, he asks, “And now, Grand Master, may I have knowledge?” The Grand Master’s simple statement, “But don’t you know? You already have it.” makes the reader want to laugh out loud as he recalls the work and the obstacles the boy overcame in order to gain knowledge. Little did the boy know that he was using his knowledge to overcome the obstacles. What About Me? ends with the morals of the story being stated on the final page. Although some might feel that this is not necessary, I think it serves as a reminder that this story is a teaching-tale meant to provide the reader with life lessons. By stating the obvious, Young provides the reader with the opportunity to think about the story’s morals and how they might apply to each person’s life. Thus, the author continues the tradition of folklore and allows new generations of readers the opportunity to share in this genre of literature.

Although the cumulative tale itself is entertaining, it is the illustrations which fill each page that bring the story to life. Young created collages which are simple, but very effective. Each page depicts the young boy on his quest with the various people he encounters. In order to emphasize the characters, Young has mounted the collages on gray speckled paper. There is no “extra” background, such as houses, plants, other people, etc. Thus, the readers’ eyes are drawn directly to the people. On the page with the goat owner, the reader is aware of the owner’s need for “a pen to keep my goat in - they are straying all over the place!” because Young depicts the owner frantically searching for and chasing the goats. Without other distractions, the reader can focus on the goat keeper’s face and the positioning of the figure on the page which captures the mood of the owner. In order to further emphasize the collages, the text is included in tan boxes near the edges of the pages. Thus, the printed word does not interfere with the illustrations, but allows them to dominate each page.

This cumulative tale is one which should be shared in a storytime. Young has combined many of the traditional elements of folktales with his engaging artwork to create a book that begs to be read aloud. Children will delight in the artwork, and they will be ready to chime in “What about me?” as the story is read. This is a story that children will enjoy, because they see that with a little hard work anyone, even a child, can attain what he strives for.


Review Excerpts:

School Library Journal (June 2002) “The return trip is more dynamic, the narrative propelled by the boy's increasingly athletic leaps toward his goal. The final pages are again calm, as the serene Sufi master educates his pupil. All in all, the static quality of both the story and the illustrations are balanced by the gentle appeal of the work. A welcome supplement to basic folk and fairy-tale collections, and timely in its Middle Eastern ethnicity.”

Horn Book (October 2002) - “Dazzling collage illustrations set the personae of the tale against muted, spatter-paint backgrounds.”


Connections:

Perform What About Me? as a Reader’s Theater.

For young children, this story could be retold using a flannel board. The children could retell the story manipulating the pieces.

Read other Sufi teaching tales from COME TO THE GARDEN: SUFI TALES OF WISDOM by M.R. Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (ISBN 0614209986). Compare these tales to Aesop’s fables.

Read some of Aesop’s fables from the following books:

Edited by Russell Ash and Bernard Highton. AESOP’S FABLES: A CLASSIC
ILLUSTRATED EDITION. ISBN 0877017808

Illustrated by Don Day. THE CLASSIC TREASURY OF AESOP’S FABLES. ISBN
0762404132

Pinkney, Jerry. AESOP’S FABLES. ISBN 1587170000

After reading Sufi tales and Aesop’s fables, have children write their own teaching tale that reflects a life lesson they have learned.

Learn how to make collage pictures. Have children create a collage illustration for their own teaching tale.