PICTURE BOOK REVIEW: Abdul's Story by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow
ABOUT THE BOOK
A little boy who loves storytelling but struggles with writing learns that it’s okay to make mistakes in this charming and encouraging picture book from the author of Mommy’s Khimar.
Abdul loves to tell stories. But writing them down is hard. His letters refuse to stay straight and face the right way. And despite all his attempts, his papers often wind up with more eraser smudges than actual words. Abdul decides his stories just aren’t meant to be written down…until a special visitor comes to class and shows Abdul that even the best writers—and superheroes—make mistakes.
REVIEW
What a beautiful book! I loved this one both in terms of story and illustrations. The story follows Abdul's struggles with writing. Abdul has loads of stories to tell, all about his neighborhood, and the things he has seen and experienced. What he doesn't have are the skills to put his stories into writing. He tries and tries, but the letters keep getting mixed up, spelling is impossible with those silent letters, and following the lines is so hard. He's tempted to give up when his paper ends up with holes from too much erasing. When Mr. Muhammad visits Abdul's class to teach the students about writing, Abdul decides to try again after seeing similarities between his experiences and Mr. Muhammad's stories. But once again, writing proves to be a difficult undertaking. But maybe, after Mr. Muhammad helps him understand that mistakes and messiness are a part of the writing process, Abdul can find a way to put his stories down on paper.
I fell in love with the character of Abdul right away. He tries so hard, over and over, but just keeps making mistakes. This reminds me so much of myself and how many times I've wanted to give up when things got hard. I have no doubt that many, if not all, children will be able to relate to Abdul's frustration. And the encouragement he receives from Mr. Muhammad made me want to stand up and cheer. And the message that learning things can be a messy process full of mistakes and that's okay, almost made me cry. Not only does this book highlight the importance of not giving up, but it reminds us that all of us have stories to tell in one way or another.
Tiffany Rose's lovely illustrations work perfectly for this book. She highlights so beautifully in her digitally created art the emotions that Abdul wrestles with as he tries to write. I think the picture that I found the most powerful is the one showing Abdul sitting under a table after giving up on his story. There is a large pencil shown erasing Abdul as he sits there looking so sad, symbolizing the shame and frustration he feels. This book is definitely one that I will be sharing over and over because of it's beauty and the powerful message.
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