Yasmin's Hammer

July 1, 2010
Gr 1–4—-asmin and her sister are brick chippers in the noisy, crowded city of Dhaka, Bangladesh. Each day as Yasmin breaks up bricks to be made into concrete, and as her father pedals his rickshaw and her mother irons and sweeps in a rich man's house, she dreams of going to school. She resolves to swing her hammer extra hard and saves her meager coins to purchase a precious book, which no one in her family can read. Her determination inspires her parents; her father finds a second route, and her mother begins making baskets to sell for extra money. And at long last, Yasmin's dream comes true—one day her father pedals her and her sister to school. A bleak situation becomes a powerful tale of hope through Yasmin's passion and determination. Malaspina tells the tale in graceful, straightforward language, describing the overwhelming sounds of the city with the precision of a child's eye. Chayka's glowing oil paintings capture the bright colors of Dhaka and the cruelty of the brickyard where Yasmin and her sister work in the blinding sun as the boss lounges under an umbrella. Neither text nor illustrations gloss over the hardships the girls experience, but also do not dwell on them; instead, the focus remains firmly on Yasmin's dreams and her resolve to achieve them.—"Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Carroll County Public Library, MD"

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2010
Grades 2-5 Swinging a hammer all day as she and her little sister break bricks in the city heat of Dhaka, Bangladesh, Yasmin dreams of going to school. In a moving voice true to her viewpoint, Yasmin speaks in smooth free verse about her longing: If I could read. Young people will be moved as they recognize what they take for granted: education is a right that can set you free. The messages are in the details: when her little sister hurts her thumb with the hammer, Yasmin works harder, saves money to buy a book, and finally persuades her parents (who also cannot read) that however hard the struggle, the girls must go to school. And in the storys heartbreaking conclusion, the girls do begin to study. Stirring oil paintings bring the setting to a close with images of the sisters in the brickyard and their father pedaling a rickshaw through the crowded streets. The back matter includes a clear map, a glossary, and a bibliography with online sites about how to help children like Yasmin.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)