Never Say a Mean Word Again: A Tale from Medieval Spain

by Jacqueline Jules, Durga Yael Bernhard (Illustrator)

Overview

No one ignores the grand vizier. The most important advisor in the royal court, he was considered the wisest man in the kingdom. He was also Samuel’s father. “Make sure Hamza never says a mean word to you again,” he had ordered Samuel.

What should Samuel do? He couldn’t disobey his father. But how would he make sure that Hamza never insulted him again? Perhaps train a monkey to hold Hamza’s lips closed, or give him some lemon juice to make his mouth pucker?

Inspired by a powerful legend of conflict resolution in Muslim Spain, Never Say a Mean Word Again is the compelling story of a boy who is given permission to punish an enemy. What will he do?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781937786205
Publisher:	Wisdom Tales
Publication date:	05/07/2014
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.30(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD480L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Jacqueline Jules is the author of over two dozen books for children including the award-winning Zapato Power series and Unite or Die: How Thirteen States Became a Nation. A former school librarian and teacher, Jacqueline enjoys visiting schools to share her passion for reading and writing. She is a word person, who loves rearranging words on the page, the same way people have fun fitting the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle together. She lives in Arlington, Va.

Durga Yael Bernhard was raised in New York’s Hudson Valley and began painting at the age of 13. Ms. Bernhard is the illustrator of numerous award-winning children’s books, including fiction and non-fiction, natural science titles and multicultural folktales. Ms. Bernhard is also a children’s teacher of Hebrew, Judaics, and illustration. She lives in the Catskill Mountains in New York.

Editorial Reviews

★ 04/21/2014
Inspired by a legend about a Jewish vizier who advised the Muslim ruler of medieval Spain, this story tells of a conundrum faced by a boy named Samuel and the counterintuitive wisdom of his father, the vizier. After Samuel accidentally offends Hamza, the tax collector’s son, and incurs endures his rage (“Donkey Brain! Stupid! Look what you did!”), Samuel’s father instructs him, “Make sure Hamza never says a mean word to you again.” With illuminating details—such as the boys’ headwear, backdrops of thick stone walls or heavy wooden doors, geometric patterns in mauves and browns, and a vine and flower motif—Bernhard’s (Around the World in One Shabbat) illustrations convey an elegant, multicultural castle environment. Energy and movement infuse the paintings, which humorously render Samuel’s contemplated strategies (“Maybe he could train a monkey to sit on Hamza’s shoulders. The monkey could clamp Hamza’s lips shut”). Jules’s (the Zapato Power series) down-to-earth narrative communicates Samuel’s subtle internal transformation as the unexpected, amusing, and touching outcomes of his attempts to obey his father turn a power struggle into a budding friendship. Ages 4–8. Illustrator’s agency: Herman Agency. (May)

Publishers Weekly

A story of bullying, acceptance, and friendship, Never Say a Mean Word Again is a delightful account of turning meanness and rudeness into kindness and friendship.... A moral tale of friendship, Never Say a Mean Word Again: A Tale from Medieval Spain, has an admirable story guided by marvelous illustrations that will inspire children and adults.

ForeWord Reviews

A story of bullying, acceptance, and friendship, Never Say a Mean Word Again is a delightful account of turning meanness and rudeness into kindness and friendship.... A moral tale of friendship, Never Say a Mean Word Again: A Tale from Medieval Spain, has an admirable story guided by marvelous illustrations that will inspire children and adults.

Foreword Reviews

05/01/2014
K-Gr 2—Samuel accidently bumps into Hamza and further angers the boy when his goblet of wine tips over onto him. Samuel's father instructs him to "make sure Hamza never says a mean word to you again." Without meaning to, Samuel finds himself playing with Hamza day after day—a game of catch, a game of chess, a game of marbles—until they have become friends. At length, Samuel realizes that he has unwittingly achieved the goal his father set for him. None of this hangs together very well in Jules's episodic, purpose-driven telling, which, according to her author's note, was inspired by a medieval legend. The lesson that extending the hand of friendship is preferable to escalating tensions is certainly worth teaching, but it's not very tastily presented here. Bernhard's paintings incorporate decorative and architectural elements, lending a sense of the story's setting.—Miriam Lang Budin, Chappaqua Library, NY

School Library Journal