The Roses in My Carpets

I enjoyed this book for a few reasons. The metaphors of the carpet weaving paint a picture in the reader’s head. For example, “Black is for the night that cloaks us from enemy eyes. Green is the color of life. Blue is the sky. One day it will be free of jets…Red is my favorite. Red is the color of the blood martyrs. But it is also the color of roses.” Along with the metaphors that help the reader compare the different colors to events or descriptions in the boy’s life, the author also includes descriptive words like “cloaks”, “enemy eyes”, and “blood martyrs”. Throughout the story, the illustrations are dark with several shades of brown and black. On the last pages of the story the author uses illustrations are show more colorful and light to portray the boy’s dreams of a bomb-free field of roses. I think this part of the story clearly shows that the scary and dangerous surroundings of the refugee camp can be overpowered by the positive thoughts of the refugee boy. The reader can also assume that the characters in the book are going through a difficult time in their life because of the worried and gloomy expressions. The big idea of this story is to be thankful of what you have and also to continue to be hopeful and brave in tough situations. show less

The young unnamed narrator of The Roses in My Carpets lives with his mother and sister in a refugee camp in Afghanistan, where he tries not to remember the war that led them here and took his father’s life. He cannot forget when he collects water for the family or goes to school, but when he learns how to weave elaborate carpets, he gets caught up in the beauty of his work and forgets all else.

In this sad but hopeful picture book, children will see numerous examples of economic concepts. The narrator, while clearly showing how labor-intensive a job can be, also illustrates how work can be enjoyable when a good match is made between a person’s interests and skills and their employment. The narrator’s apprenticeship is made possible show more because of the investment of a sponsor, and the sponsor-child relationship epitomizes the old adage of “Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish; and you have fed him for a lifetime.” The narrator makes this return on investment abundantly clear when he states, “I will have a skill no one can take away. As long as I am strong and able, my family will never go hungry. … Soon, I will be a master craftsman and my sponsor’s money will not be needed.” In the past, the narrator sees only war, in the present only scarcity, but in the future he sees hope for a life free from both.

I reviewed this book for EconKids. See this full review and many others at: http://econkids.rutgers.edu/new-picture-books-in-2006-and-earlier/2097-the-roses... show less

I enjoyed reading "The Roses in my Carpets". It is a compelling story of a young boy and his life at a refugee camp having nightmares filled with terror and the constant thoughts of his loss. The author help the reader connect to the character and his emotions through illustrations. For example, when the young boy has nightmares of the war that killed his father, the author uses dark colors and bomber planes to create a realistic scene. The characters pain is easily identifiable through the authors words. For example, when the young boy arrives to the hospital after his sister is struck by a car, the author describes the mother as screaming and in shock. These terms are simple enough to connect to, but also complex enough to sympathize show more with. The author does a great job making the mindescape that the boy creates for himself by weaving carpets a visual reality. For example, the boy describes the lack of color and flowers in the mud filled camp where they live. When the carpets are described as being filled with roses, the author uses a full page field of roses, with a bright and clear sky, to help the reader understand the contrast from what he typically feels. The big idea of the book is that it is possible to create sunshine in a dark space, as long as you have the desire. show less

I read “The Roses in My Carpets” by Rukhsana Khan. This was a fiction picture book. The theme in this book is staying true to your beliefs. The author uses characters, plot, and point-of-view to convey this theme. The characters in this story are all a part of a refugee camp, and despite the war going on around them; they all still manage to stick to their beliefs. The plot has to do with this family who falls apart because of accidents occurring and it makes them stay strong in what they believe in so that they can be helped. The point-of-view is told by the girl who faces obstacles that make it hard for her to follow her beliefs, but making carpets reminds her of who she is.

I enjoyed this book about an Afghan family living in a refugee camp as a result of the war. The author effectively employs descriptive language to describe the plot of the story. I like the descriptive language, such as "I return with the heavy bucket", "the plastic handle cuts into my hand", and "we sit on rough mats that rub my ankles raw". The vivid language allows the reader to visualize what is going on in the story.
I also liked how the author used foreshadowing to enhance the story. The narrator foreshadows his sister's accident when he almost steps in front of speeding cars driven like madmen and is happy his sister is home safe. He later learns that she was hit by a truck while he was carpet weaving.
The main idea of this story show more is the importance of hope. Despite the difficult life the narrator and his family lead in the refugee camp he never loses hope. The narrator uses his imagination to get him through his life's daily obstacles and hope that one day the dreams he has while carpet weaving will come true. show less

I thought this was a really good book, the story line follows of a refugee child coming of age. After his father died in the war, the young protagonist in this book steps up too provide for his mother and sister. The main characters drive and determination to provide for his family is inspiring, its said to think boys his age are actually put into situations like this in wartime areas. Their loss of innocence comes to quickly. I really liek the way the artist made the pictures in this book, the pictures help show the mood of the story.

In my opinion this was a very good book. I enjoyed that the book was written in first person. It felt like the main character was speaking directly to the reader. This allowed me to feel more engaged in the reading. It also allowed me to feel a deeper connection to the main character.
Another great aspect of the book was the author’s use of imagery. She used colors to describe the feelings that the main character was experiencing. This was helpful because it allowed the reader to look at the illustration, read the words, and then form and even clearer picture in their mind of what was happening. She did this many times which also created a nice flow to the book. Along with the imagery the author used a lot of very descriptive show more language. Instead of just using one adjective in some places she would use many words to say one thing. This helped to keep the story interesting and keep the reader engaged.
Finally I believe that the author did an excellent job describing what it was like to live in another country. This gives the reader a little background knowledge about the location without taking time from the story to actually tell them about it. Giving information about the setting also helped to develop the main idea of the book which was the importance of family. In other countries families all have to work to support each other and they do that because they love each other. show less