July 15, 2021
How does one entertain two baby kestrels in the middle of a West Texas dust storm? With camel stories, of course. Like her namesake Scheherazade, elderly camel Zada has many stories to tell from her adventurous life. It's 1910, and she has charge of Wims and Beulah, two baby kestrels whose parents have vanished in a vicious dust storm. The threesome shelter in an empty mountain lion's cave, waiting for safety. Zada hopes to get the chicks to the safe meeting place chosen by their parents just before a dust devil snatched them away. The evocative language is spellbinding as tales from Zada's life calm the baby birds--and capture the interest of readers as well. The fledglings learn that Zada was raised by a Turkish pasha and gifted with eight other prized racing camels to the U.S. Army in 1856, ending up in Texas (events inspired by actual history). A delight to the senses, Zada's stories are a descriptive wonder, featuring roiling dust, howling winds, fresh figs, and cool water, bolstering the emotions shown in Rohmann's grayscale oil paintings. Readers will revel in both the vivid stories of Zada's past and the rich vocabulary of Texas desert life. Appelt's voice and pacing demonstrate her fine storytelling skills. Hearts will grow fond of this wise old camel; she is a bright star. For the curious, the listeners, the adventurers, the caregivers, the young, and the old. (glossary, author's note, sources) (Fiction. 8-12)
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Starred review from July 1, 2021
Grades 4-7 *Starred Review* Zada, an elderly camel, is enjoying a peaceful desert snooze when a kestrel friend frantically flies in with a warning: an enormous sandstorm is on its way. As the kestrel and her mate realize they must rescue their darling chicks from the oncoming whirlwind, honorary aunt Zada steps up, ordering the tiny fluffs to hunker down atop her head. The group agrees to meet nearby after the gale passes, but before they can say goodbye, the storm sweeps the kestrel parents away, and the camel hightails it for shelter, chicks in tow. To calm the anxious babies, Zada begins spinning yarns of her extraordinary life. She shares tales of her opulent youth in Turkey, a fraught trans-Atlantic crossing, and incredible adventures in North American deserts. In a clever nod to her namesake, Scheherazade, the camel tells her stories to save lives, and Zada's past and present come together to preserve them all. The unusual story is at turns extremely funny and incredibly sweet. There's a beautiful fluidity to Appelt's descriptions, capturing movement and sound with amazing (and amusing) accuracy, and the conversational narration comfortably establishes a cozy world. Rohmann's soft, lifelike oil paintings scattered throughout the text handsomely add to the fantastical proceedings, resulting in an unconventional ode to the beauty of found families and the power in our stories.
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August 9, 2021
Newbery Honoree Appelt’s storytelling-interested novel, set in 1910, features an unlikely friendship between an aging camel and a family of American kestrels in the West Texas desert. Zada’s joints are achy, but when a massive sandstorm threatens newly hatched chicks Wims and Beulah, the elderly ruminant Auntie rises to the occasion, eager to help the two to safety at the nearby abandoned Mission, a trip that takes on new urgency when a gust blows the kestrel parents off-course. Taking refuge in a mountain lion’s lair with the distressed chicks burrowed in her fur, Zada—like her namesake Scheherazade—seeks to entertain. In a second story thread that alternates with the first, Zada relates her upbringing in Turkey, career as an elite racing camel with best friend Asiye, and unexpected journey to Texas as a gift from the Turkish government to the U.S. Army. In prose that’s sometimes playful and frequently sensorial (“Sweet and spicy aromas intertwined with the salty fragrance of the sea”), Appelt’s celebration of owning one’s history proves both empowering and entertaining. Lush occasional oil paintings by Caldecott Medalist Rohmann bring readers into Zada’s world. Ages 8–12. Agent: Holly McGhee, Pippin Properties.