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Loading... Hamda and Fisaikraby Kaltham Al-Ghanem
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This Cinderella story is known across the world in many versions. The tale of Hamda, or the Gulf Cinderella, takes place at the edge of the sea, where the magical Fisaikra fish comes to the rescue of poor Hamda, and brings her together with a charming prince. Available in Arabic and English editions, this is a perfect book for all parents and educators looking for childrens books on the culture of the Arabian Gulf. No library descriptions found. |
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Originally published in Arabic as حمدة وفسيكرة, Hamda and Fisaikra is a lovely book, featuring a fascinating variant of a well-known and well-loved tale, and gorgeous artwork. Author Kaltham Al-Ghanem is an academic who teaches at Qatar University, and who is involved in a variety of anthropological investigations. Her retelling here, translated into English by Andy Smart, is engaging, and reminded me strongly of the Iraqi variant of this tale that is retold in Rebecca Hickox's The Golden Sandal: A Middle Eastern Cinderella Story. In both tales, the heroine spares the life of a fish who then becomes her guardian angel, but in this version specific to the Gulf Coast, the fish is a fisaikra, as a twobar seabream/two-banded porgy is known, in the Qatari dialect. The accompanying illustrations from May al-Mannai, who works for the Al Jazeera Children's television channel in Qatar, are lovely, with a deep, vibrant color scheme, and beautiful, stylized figures. This is one I would recommend to all folklore enthusiasts, and to readers interested in global variants of the Cinderella story. ( )