What's the Matter, Habibi? by Betsy Lewin

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Lewin, Betsy.  1997.  WHAT'S THE MATTER, HABIBI?  Ill. by Betsy Lewin.  New York, NY: Clarion Books.  ISBN  039585816X

2. PLOT SUMMARY

Betsy Lewin tells the story of Habibi,  a camel who gives rides to children daily, but suddenly, decides he no longer wants to.  He refuses to obey the promptings of his owner, Ahmed.  Ahmed grows worried, wondering if his beloved camel is ill.  Habibi runs away in search of what he truly wants, while Ahmed wildly chases after him.  In the end, both Ahmed and Habibi are happily reunited, each having gotten what they wanted.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Lewin's writing is straightforward in this story of a camel and the journey he takes his owner on.   She uses onomatopoeia to mimic the sounds of Habibi's feet striking the ground, "ploppity-plop" and "slappity-slap", which playfully add to Habibi's strong-willed personality.  Lewin also introduces her readers to names and words they may have never heard of before: Habibi, Ahmed, babouches, and fezzes.   Although the words are used to further the plot to engage the reader, it is the use of sketching techniques and water color illustrations that anchor the heart of telling this story.

The illustrations provide crucial clues in helping readers determine that babouches are slippers and a fez is a hat.  The illustrations also serve to establish the cultural setting and environment.  The pictures reveal that the story takes place in a foreign country, perhaps in Morocco or the Middle East.  As readers turn the pages, they see sights that are common to Arabic nations:  men wearing turbans and thobes, women wearing kameezes with the protective hijab, and crowded food markets flourishing with activity.  One page has an image of two men hookah smoking.  Although this detail is never mentioned in the story, it is an authentic image that captures the customs of everyday life of the culture. 

Lewin's bold lined sketches and shadings help to capture the intricate shapes found in the brass and tin shops as well as the details found in the building spires and arched, columned doorways.  The drawings also reveal the willful spirit of Habibi, showing his stubborn facials expressions when refusing to obey Ahmed.  The sketched lines show the movement of Habibi's fez hat and the mount's tassels on his lively jaunt through the city streets.   The vibrant water colors used for Habibi's mount are used to grab the eye of the reader and focus on him as the central character of the story.   This contrasts the bland and lighter color shades used for the buildings and people in the market place.

I think this picture book does a wonderful job of capturing the humor of a strong-willed camel and the lengths he will go to, to get what he wants.  It also shows young readers the cultural diversity that exists in the world, and can introduce them to different perspectives and other ways of life.  Books such as this one may help to pique their interests in learning more about the different ethnicities, cultures, and customs of the world.

4. REVIEW EXCERPTS

BOOKLIST: "Half the charm of this original picture book is in the free-spirited illustrations. Full of energy and wit, the bold black line drawings tell the tale, while the colorful watercolor washes add depth, warmth, and gaiety. With its modern-day Egyptian setting, timeless story, and fresh, spontaneous style of artwork, this simple picture book has much to offer."

BOOKFLAP: "Inspired by a real-life camel and driver Betsy Lewin met in Egypt, this frolicsome new picture book will delight any child."

PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY: "Lewin's (Chubbo's Pool) agile, spontaneous-looking watercolors combine graceful scrawls and squiggles with watercolor washes, humorously depicting the owner's struggle with his stubborn charge and Habibi's frisky stride through the purple-shadowed crowds of the bazaar. The art adds a lot of style to little substance--perhaps fitting for a tale in which the narrative problem is solved by a new hat."

5.  CONNECTIONS

To help students learn more about Middle Eastern cultures, you can pair this book with the following:

*Kipling, Rudyard. HOW THE CAMEL GOT HIS HUMP.  ISBN  0887080960

*Clayton, Sally Pomme.  TALES TOLD IN TENTS: STORIES FROM CENTAL ASIA.  ISBN  1845072782