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Yasmin's Hammer
In the noisy streets of Dhaka, Bangladesh, another busy morning is beginning as Yasmin rides to work in her father’s rattling rickshaw. Yasmin longs to go to school so she can learn to read, but her family needs the money she and her sister earn at the brickyard to help keep the rice bag full and the roof repaired.
As she hammers away at bricks day after day, Yasmin dreams of a different life. If she could read, she could be anything she wants to be when she grows up. One night Yasmin has an idea—a secret plan that will bring her one step closer to making her dream a reality.
As she hammers away at bricks day after day, Yasmin dreams of a different life. If she could read, she could be anything she wants to be when she grows up. One night Yasmin has an idea—a secret plan that will bring her one step closer to making her dream a reality.
40 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
September 15, 2021
Yasmine's Hammer is a book by Ann Malaspina. Yasmine and her sister, Mita, chip at bricks all day in order to get money for her family even though they really want to go to school. Yasmine comes up with a plan to get closer to her dream. Students may be interested in this book because it teaches the value of education. A teacher may use this book for instruction because it offers a fresh perspective on the value of education. The culture that is represented is in Dhaka the capital city of Bangladesh, in southern Asia.
June 25, 2012
"Yasmin's Hammer" is an intriguing tale of a young girl, Yasmin, whose family moved from the country (after their farm was flooded out) to Dhaka, the capital of Bangledesh. Every member of the family has to work very hard in order to make ends meet. Each morning that Yasmin and her sister Mita go to work crushing bricks with hammers, Yasmin dreams of being able to go to school. With great determination, the family figures out a way that allows Yasmin and Mita to go to school. The colorful pictures will give American children a better idea of what it's like to live in another country like Bangledesh. The inspiring story encourages primary and intermediate students to value the free education that they receive in the USA. And for those struggling readers, Yasmin is a wonderful example of not giving up when things are difficult. "Yasmin's Hammer" won the 2010-2011 APALA Award.
Want to read
July 15, 2013Audience: Primary
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Quote: "That was before the cyclone crashed in from the sea. Before the wind cried so loud, we had to cover our ears. Before the rain fell so hard. Abba had to hold on to Mita so she wouldn't be swept away like Abba's tender new rice, our bamboo house, and the mango tree. That was before water covered our whole world." Page 8.
Rationale: The figurative language in this quote, brought it to life. We've all heard something that is so loud we have to cover our ears. Maybe we haven't all experienced needing to hold on to our little sister so she wouldn't be swept away, but we could imagine it. We could also imagine our home and a tree being swept away, and water covering the world that we know.
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Quote: "That was before the cyclone crashed in from the sea. Before the wind cried so loud, we had to cover our ears. Before the rain fell so hard. Abba had to hold on to Mita so she wouldn't be swept away like Abba's tender new rice, our bamboo house, and the mango tree. That was before water covered our whole world." Page 8.
Rationale: The figurative language in this quote, brought it to life. We've all heard something that is so loud we have to cover our ears. Maybe we haven't all experienced needing to hold on to our little sister so she wouldn't be swept away, but we could imagine it. We could also imagine our home and a tree being swept away, and water covering the world that we know.
June 9, 2022
When I talked about child labor to my students, they thought this has been the past. It is not.
I can't blame them, since there has been no young child around them working after school, or so they think. But several hundred, even thousand miles away, there are.
Tens of thousands of young children have no right and time for education -- and this book, "Yasmin's Hammer," is a good read for them to understand.
Yasmin and Mita are sitting on their Abba's rickshaw. Abba is how they call their father. When the story unfolds, readers will then realize they are not outing for fun. Each of them has something to work on.
There are several sets of contrasts:
-- country life in the past VS urban life now
-- Abba & his rickshaw VS Yasmin & her hammer
-- Abba & Amma
--Yasmina & Mita
-- Amma staying home working on chores VS Yasmin & Mita working outside to earn $$
-- Being picked up by Abba VS Walking home
-- Before & after getting a book
This is also a book that cannot be missed on climate migration, as this family is forced to make a decision to leave their original home due to a huge flood.
I would add this for the discussion of climate change, especially on the South Asian region.
If anyone's interested, don't forget to check the author's source page, and also an interview on Lee & Low's website: https://www.leeandlow.com/books/yasmi....
I can't blame them, since there has been no young child around them working after school, or so they think. But several hundred, even thousand miles away, there are.
Tens of thousands of young children have no right and time for education -- and this book, "Yasmin's Hammer," is a good read for them to understand.
Yasmin and Mita are sitting on their Abba's rickshaw. Abba is how they call their father. When the story unfolds, readers will then realize they are not outing for fun. Each of them has something to work on.
There are several sets of contrasts:
-- country life in the past VS urban life now
-- Abba & his rickshaw VS Yasmin & her hammer
-- Abba & Amma
--Yasmina & Mita
-- Amma staying home working on chores VS Yasmin & Mita working outside to earn $$
-- Being picked up by Abba VS Walking home
-- Before & after getting a book
This is also a book that cannot be missed on climate migration, as this family is forced to make a decision to leave their original home due to a huge flood.
I would add this for the discussion of climate change, especially on the South Asian region.
If anyone's interested, don't forget to check the author's source page, and also an interview on Lee & Low's website: https://www.leeandlow.com/books/yasmi....
November 9, 2021
This book is about a family from Bangladesh who are forced off their rice field farm because of a tropical storm. Their move to the big city has the daughters having to work in a brick hammering jobs as children. I liked the pictures and seeing the perspective of longing to be able to go to school. Our kids so many times take education for granted.
Although the book is very positive and ends on a good note... the truth many times is the "bosses" of these brick and match making places has hired "bond servants" and rarely actually pay them. It is very rare that they get out and move to a better job.
Although the book is very positive and ends on a good note... the truth many times is the "bosses" of these brick and match making places has hired "bond servants" and rarely actually pay them. It is very rare that they get out and move to a better job.
May 19, 2023
This is a wonderful picture book about a family living in Bangladesh. They have moved to the city because the cyclones were bad in the country where they were and left them homeless. In the city, the entire family including the young daughters need to work to help the family make a living. But Yasmin dreams of going to school and learning to read so that eventually she can have a job to help her family which is more than just swinging a hammer in the brickyards. Through hard work and determination, the family does get Yasmin to school. There is some great backmatter in this book about Bangladesh and how to help.
February 5, 2021
We take our education for granted, the fact that we can just go to a school and it is paid by our Government, but it is not the same everywhere.
The fact that our kids don't have to work so the family can survive.
This one about the desire for a girl to go to school, but having to work to help the family is moving.
The information at the end about the direction to end child labour and get education for children in Bangladesh was heartening.
Another book in the inspiring Asian Pacific American Literary Awards list.
The fact that our kids don't have to work so the family can survive.
This one about the desire for a girl to go to school, but having to work to help the family is moving.
The information at the end about the direction to end child labour and get education for children in Bangladesh was heartening.
Another book in the inspiring Asian Pacific American Literary Awards list.
December 11, 2023
I loved this book. I am all for books that are about people having dreams that they are able to pursue. This book was very interesting and I enjoyed the illustrations. Without the illustrations, I do not know if I would enjoy this book as much. The main character and her sister shared a beautiful relationship that I feel could easily slip by anybody reading this book, but I focused on it a lot.
January 12, 2018
#WWA #children's_rights
Great book for the G4 unit on Rights and responsibilities. Story of two young Bangladeshi children with a desire to learn but a need to work to help their family. Provides a sensitive context for child labour.
Great book for the G4 unit on Rights and responsibilities. Story of two young Bangladeshi children with a desire to learn but a need to work to help their family. Provides a sensitive context for child labour.
July 20, 2019
Beautifully illustrated, timely, wonderful exploration of a Bangladeshi girl's fervent desire for education and her and her family's quest for it.
October 30, 2020
I DIDN'T GET TO READ IT GUYS!! HOW DO I EVEN READ IT!! WHERE'S YOUR DUMB BUTTON
June 27, 2012
Natural disaster can strike a family at any given moment. Often families are left struggling with poverty, despair, and the feeling of abandonment. The 2010-2011 (APALA) Asian Pacific American Librarians Association Picture Book Winner, Yasmin’s Hammer, written by Ann Malaspina, transports readers to the busy streets of Dhaka, Bangladesh; where Yasmin and her family are trying to adjust to city life. Yasmin spent the majority of her young childhood in a small village. When a cyclone hit her community, she and her family were forced to relocate to the city in hope of new opportunities. The encouraging tone delivered from a child’s point of view allows readers to connect/identify with the topic of poverty and despair. Yasmin's father takes a job pedaling customers around the city in a rented rickshaw, her mother finds domestic work for the rich, and Yasmin and her sister Mita are sent to hammer bricks in Dhaka's brickyard. Working conditions are harsh and Yasmin dreams of going to school and learning how to read. She believes if she and Mita could learn how to read, they could grow up to achieve the jobs of their dreams.
This book is geared for children (male and female) grades 1-5 and offers young learners a revealing look at the working and living conditions of one young girl forced to work to help provide for her family. Doug Chayka’s illustrations capture the hustle of the city streets, family living, and the emotional expressions each character contributes to the book. Realistic bright colors and attention to detail that invite readers into this story. The author provides additional information in the back of the book has for the reader to help the children in underdeveloped countries. The author also provides additional reading recommendations and a Bangla glossary. This is a great book that allows the reader good story at face value that exposes children to other educational situation in different countries.
This book is geared for children (male and female) grades 1-5 and offers young learners a revealing look at the working and living conditions of one young girl forced to work to help provide for her family. Doug Chayka’s illustrations capture the hustle of the city streets, family living, and the emotional expressions each character contributes to the book. Realistic bright colors and attention to detail that invite readers into this story. The author provides additional information in the back of the book has for the reader to help the children in underdeveloped countries. The author also provides additional reading recommendations and a Bangla glossary. This is a great book that allows the reader good story at face value that exposes children to other educational situation in different countries.
December 23, 2010
In Dhaka, Bangladesh, Yasmin rides to work in the morning in her father’s rickshaw. Though Yasmin longs to go to school, she has to help earn money so that her family can eat and her father can someday purchase the rickshaw. Yasmin thinks about the quiet days in her village before the cyclone forced them to move to the noise and bustle of the city. Now she must work breaking bricks for use in building roads and buildings. Even Yasmin’s little sister must work in the brickyard so the family can survive. Yasmin comes up with a plan of how she can both help her family and make sure that she can be educated too. Each day she works harder and faster than anyone else, and the boss gives her extra coins. These she saves for her secret plan that no one in her family knows about.
Sprinkled with Bangladeshi words, Malaspina’s text is poetic and strong. She captures the city and the country in tangible ways, through colors, sounds and smells. This is a book about child labor, though it is not overly dramatic. It is a quiet story of desperation in the face of poverty. The focus is on the importance of education for children and the struggles that a family must overcome to offer it.
Chayka’s illustrations are filled with warm light. They capture the hustle of the city streets, nicely contrasting it with the quiet of the countryside. Bright colors, enliven his paintings that invite readers into this story.
This is an important book that offers a glimpse of children living in very different circumstances than we see in our part of the world. It is one that will spur discussions and also have children realizing how well off they are to not have to work and to be able to go to school. Appropriate for ages 5-8.
Sprinkled with Bangladeshi words, Malaspina’s text is poetic and strong. She captures the city and the country in tangible ways, through colors, sounds and smells. This is a book about child labor, though it is not overly dramatic. It is a quiet story of desperation in the face of poverty. The focus is on the importance of education for children and the struggles that a family must overcome to offer it.
Chayka’s illustrations are filled with warm light. They capture the hustle of the city streets, nicely contrasting it with the quiet of the countryside. Bright colors, enliven his paintings that invite readers into this story.
This is an important book that offers a glimpse of children living in very different circumstances than we see in our part of the world. It is one that will spur discussions and also have children realizing how well off they are to not have to work and to be able to go to school. Appropriate for ages 5-8.
June 26, 2012
Audience: 2nd – 5th grade, Bangladesh, humanitarian aid for children
Appeal: This story is based on actual events that the author has witnessed while traveling in South Asia. It follows the plight of a family uprooted by floods and forced to move to the city to earn income. This includes the two young girls in the family who must also work to help the family play for food and repair on their roof. The ultimate goal of the main character and her family is that both girls will eventually be able to attend school and learn to read. My favorite part of the story is when the main character, Yasmin, is able to buy a book to read, but as she and her family look at it that evening, they realize that none of them can read and that is when the change happens – you will have to read the book to learn what the change is about. A great book that might show children in developed nations how lucky they are to be able to get an education and learn how to read. The back of the book has several ways for the reader to help the children in these underdeveloped countries such as donations to UNICEF and Save the Children. The author also has recommendations on other books that can be read about Bangladesh as well as glossary that explains what some of the words mean as the author uses Bangla names and words throughout the book. The illustrations are a great asset to this book as they show the family’s journey from their rural home to the city to the jobs they work to try to earn enough money.
Award: 2010 APALA Picture Book Winner
Appeal: This story is based on actual events that the author has witnessed while traveling in South Asia. It follows the plight of a family uprooted by floods and forced to move to the city to earn income. This includes the two young girls in the family who must also work to help the family play for food and repair on their roof. The ultimate goal of the main character and her family is that both girls will eventually be able to attend school and learn to read. My favorite part of the story is when the main character, Yasmin, is able to buy a book to read, but as she and her family look at it that evening, they realize that none of them can read and that is when the change happens – you will have to read the book to learn what the change is about. A great book that might show children in developed nations how lucky they are to be able to get an education and learn how to read. The back of the book has several ways for the reader to help the children in these underdeveloped countries such as donations to UNICEF and Save the Children. The author also has recommendations on other books that can be read about Bangladesh as well as glossary that explains what some of the words mean as the author uses Bangla names and words throughout the book. The illustrations are a great asset to this book as they show the family’s journey from their rural home to the city to the jobs they work to try to earn enough money.
Award: 2010 APALA Picture Book Winner
June 13, 2013
Text to World
Yasmin’s Hammer
Genre Realistic Fiction
Award Asian Pacific American Award for Literature
This book is told by a young girl about her family and her. She starts telling about her village and then losing everything in a cyclone and having to move to the city. In the city her and her sister are not allowed to go to school they need to work to help with buying food for the family. It is her dream to be able to read and have a better life. She works extra hard at breaking bricks and is able to get extra coins for all the hard work. She saves her money and buys a book to read with her family. This helps the father to see that she needs school and he finds a way to make her dreams come true.
This book represents the world after the tsunami hit Japan we heard of families that lost everything and were not even allowed to stay in the same region because of the nuclear leak. They lost everything including their family land. Many families in Japan had to move to cities and even different countries to find jobs. They too had to have faith and hard work to make their dreams come true.
Yasmin’s Hammer
Genre Realistic Fiction
Award Asian Pacific American Award for Literature
This book is told by a young girl about her family and her. She starts telling about her village and then losing everything in a cyclone and having to move to the city. In the city her and her sister are not allowed to go to school they need to work to help with buying food for the family. It is her dream to be able to read and have a better life. She works extra hard at breaking bricks and is able to get extra coins for all the hard work. She saves her money and buys a book to read with her family. This helps the father to see that she needs school and he finds a way to make her dreams come true.
This book represents the world after the tsunami hit Japan we heard of families that lost everything and were not even allowed to stay in the same region because of the nuclear leak. They lost everything including their family land. Many families in Japan had to move to cities and even different countries to find jobs. They too had to have faith and hard work to make their dreams come true.
March 23, 2016
The main character, Yasmin, is a young girl growing up in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Yasmin talks of a hard time when her family's home was ruined in the country and they are forced to move to the city in search of a better life. After her father drops her off at work, where she smashes bricks with her hammer, she dreams of going to school. Each night she dreams of returning to the country with a pile of books to read, even though she doesn't know how. One day, she saves enough money to purchase a book from a nearby store. It is when the family is looking through the book filled with words they could not read that the mother realizes the girls need to go to school. One day, Yasmin and her sister jump into the rickshaw expecting to go to work, but, instead, are brought to school.
I thought that this read could be a great view into the world of the impoverished in Bangladesh. It shows that dreams can come true with hard work and determination. The book also places high regard for education and how there are people that dream of going to school. The artwork is vivid and accurately depicts what is being said on the page.
I thought that this read could be a great view into the world of the impoverished in Bangladesh. It shows that dreams can come true with hard work and determination. The book also places high regard for education and how there are people that dream of going to school. The artwork is vivid and accurately depicts what is being said on the page.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 16, 2010
I received my copy of this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
Yasmin is a young girl in Bangladesh who wishes to attend school. However, her family needs her to work to help support them. In the end, Yasmin uses the titular tool to earn enough money to attend school. The book necessarily evokes Mitali Perkins' Rickshaw Girl, and is tied up just as neatly at the end. The high point of Yasmin's Hammer is the list of sources at the end. In addition to information on aid organizations, there are books for further reading as well as a glossary.
I know two stars doesn't seem like a lot... I would give it three if not for Goodreads' categorization of the stars. This book was average so I want to give it three, but the description of three stars is "liked it" when really I felt that "it was ok." So two stars it is. I would recommend the book to girls or boys who like learning about other cultures; it's definitely more of a window than a mirror. However, it's also about overcoming adversity so if a kid showed an interest in that I would also recommend the book.
Yasmin is a young girl in Bangladesh who wishes to attend school. However, her family needs her to work to help support them. In the end, Yasmin uses the titular tool to earn enough money to attend school. The book necessarily evokes Mitali Perkins' Rickshaw Girl, and is tied up just as neatly at the end. The high point of Yasmin's Hammer is the list of sources at the end. In addition to information on aid organizations, there are books for further reading as well as a glossary.
I know two stars doesn't seem like a lot... I would give it three if not for Goodreads' categorization of the stars. This book was average so I want to give it three, but the description of three stars is "liked it" when really I felt that "it was ok." So two stars it is. I would recommend the book to girls or boys who like learning about other cultures; it's definitely more of a window than a mirror. However, it's also about overcoming adversity so if a kid showed an interest in that I would also recommend the book.
June 9, 2013
"Yasmin's Hammer" by Ann Malaspina is a primary book in the realistic fiction genre. It won the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature as the Picture Book award winner in 2010-2011. The text-to-self connection that I made when reading this book was the responsibility for my own education. The main character in the book, Yasmin, was always telling her parents that she wanted to go to school, but her parents were telling her that she needed to work to support the family. However, Yasmin persists and takes charge of educating herself by buying a book and showing her family. She helps them see the importance of an education to help them succeed in life. While I did not have to work as a child to support my family, I have always felt that I was the person responsible for my education. I still feel that finding ways to continually learn new things is important for success. I crave new knowledge and understanding.
Read
April 6, 2013Audience: I would read this book with 4th or 5th grade but it could work for lower grades too.
Appeal: THis book brings to light the hardships that many children around the world face. It may help kids who don't see value in reading or education.
Application: I would read this story with my class as part of a world geography lesson. WHen we talk about India and Bangladesh area we would read this to put a human connection to the are that we are learning about. In the back of the book there are maps that show where the people in the story lived. There is also a glossary and a section on How You Can Help. I would have the students do a web search on the different organizations to see how they were making a difference and maybe we would raise money for one of the organizations through a fundraiser.
Appeal: THis book brings to light the hardships that many children around the world face. It may help kids who don't see value in reading or education.
Application: I would read this story with my class as part of a world geography lesson. WHen we talk about India and Bangladesh area we would read this to put a human connection to the are that we are learning about. In the back of the book there are maps that show where the people in the story lived. There is also a glossary and a section on How You Can Help. I would have the students do a web search on the different organizations to see how they were making a difference and maybe we would raise money for one of the organizations through a fundraiser.
August 19, 2010
How can one not love a book that emphasizes the importance of being able to read? Honestly, it's one skill that can make or break you. This book explores the lives of those whose quest to obtain this basic skill is much harder than most. Focusing on Yasmin and her family, we watch as they struggle to find some way to maintain an adequate living enviroment with the goal of one day sending their girls to school so they can drink of the knowledge they have for so long desired.
A good story at face value as well as a working tool to bring to light the severity of the educational situation in other countries. Something to think about the next time you take a book or reading for that matter for granted.
A good story at face value as well as a working tool to bring to light the severity of the educational situation in other countries. Something to think about the next time you take a book or reading for that matter for granted.
Read
March 26, 2013Audience: Third through fifth graders because the topics might be a little more advanced for younger grades.
Appeal: This story line would intrigue students because they could empathize with Yasmin and her family. Our American lifestyles are so different from the way she is living in Bangladesh, so the children could be pulled in by reading about such vast differences.
Application: We could make venn diagrams about what is different and similar to Yasmin's and our lives. We could then talk about how she wants to go to school so badly and how we may take free schooling for granted. We could talk about cultural differences, too, and about how things are done differently in different countries.
This earned the 2011 Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature.
Appeal: This story line would intrigue students because they could empathize with Yasmin and her family. Our American lifestyles are so different from the way she is living in Bangladesh, so the children could be pulled in by reading about such vast differences.
Application: We could make venn diagrams about what is different and similar to Yasmin's and our lives. We could then talk about how she wants to go to school so badly and how we may take free schooling for granted. We could talk about cultural differences, too, and about how things are done differently in different countries.
This earned the 2011 Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature.
July 15, 2013
Audience: Primary
Genre: Cultural Fiction
Quote: Once we lived far away in a quiet house by a lazy river. I helped Abba plant rice in the paddy field. Amma wove baskets to sell at the market, and Mita played under the mango tree. Sometimes I rode our mohish in the warm river currents.
Rationale: I would consider this a true picture book in that the pictures are essential to the text. I often found myself studying the pictures in order to better understand the text. The passage above with its culturally vivid terms stood out the most as being able to stand own. The cultural terms would be great discussion points and students could create their own initial visuals of what this world of Yasmin may look like.
Genre: Cultural Fiction
Quote: Once we lived far away in a quiet house by a lazy river. I helped Abba plant rice in the paddy field. Amma wove baskets to sell at the market, and Mita played under the mango tree. Sometimes I rode our mohish in the warm river currents.
Rationale: I would consider this a true picture book in that the pictures are essential to the text. I often found myself studying the pictures in order to better understand the text. The passage above with its culturally vivid terms stood out the most as being able to stand own. The cultural terms would be great discussion points and students could create their own initial visuals of what this world of Yasmin may look like.
October 18, 2011
Yasmin’s Hammer is a book by Ann Malaspina. Yasmin and her sister chip at bricks all day to get money for the family, even though they really want to go to school. Yasmin comes up with a secret plan to get closer to her dream. The best part is probably how excited they are about books. Definitely something to share with our alliterate students.
A page in the back of the book has a glossary and pronunciation guide as well as information on advocacy. Other books are suggested as well.
See the CIA World Fact Book for more information about Bangladesh:
https://www.cia.gov/library/publicati...
A page in the back of the book has a glossary and pronunciation guide as well as information on advocacy. Other books are suggested as well.
See the CIA World Fact Book for more information about Bangladesh:
https://www.cia.gov/library/publicati...
July 15, 2013
Audience: Primary
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Quote: "Then we walked for many days all the way to Dhaka carrying Amma's baskets, our dreams, and nothing else." (quote is on fifth page with text) A cyclone destroyed their crops, house, tree, and everything they knew. Despite all of the loss, they still had hopes and dreams, which they did not give up on especially Yasmin. She wanted more than to work in the brickyard. She wanted to read and go to school. I think this quote shows both an image of loss and desperation, but also of hope for what the future holds and this is exactly what this book is all about.
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Quote: "Then we walked for many days all the way to Dhaka carrying Amma's baskets, our dreams, and nothing else." (quote is on fifth page with text) A cyclone destroyed their crops, house, tree, and everything they knew. Despite all of the loss, they still had hopes and dreams, which they did not give up on especially Yasmin. She wanted more than to work in the brickyard. She wanted to read and go to school. I think this quote shows both an image of loss and desperation, but also of hope for what the future holds and this is exactly what this book is all about.
January 15, 2011
A poor Bangladeshi family has been made homeless by a cyclone, so they move to the city to start a new life. The story centers around the oldest daughter, Yasmin, who wants to go to school and learn how to read. However, she and her sister must work instead. What we take for granted in this country means so much to people in other lands. Such a small (to us) amount of money would get this family on their feet. This is a great story to read to children who complain about going to school! Highly recommended!
January 23, 2012
While she works diligently chipping at bricks, Yasmin has a dream that sustains her--one day she wants to go to school. She realizes at a young age that getting an education will allow her to break her family's cycle of poverty. Ann Malaspina's story is set in Bangladesh and serves as a gentle introduction to the country and the issues surrounding the education of girls. Doug Chayka's colorful and catching illustrations provide a glimpse of the countryside and bustling city of Dhaka and are reminiscent of the vibrant artwork found throughout the country.
Read
July 15, 2013Audience: Primary
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Quote: "Mita and I crouch on the ground. We swing our hammers- chipping, cracking, crushing, smashing. Bricks fly into bits. Red dust fills the air and sticks in my throat."
"Yasmin's Hammer"is a story about a girl that longs to go to school and learn to real. Yasmin and her sister do child labor instead of attending school. They work at as brick chippers to make money for their family. I love the picture of breaking up the brick that Ann Malaspina paints with her words.
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Quote: "Mita and I crouch on the ground. We swing our hammers- chipping, cracking, crushing, smashing. Bricks fly into bits. Red dust fills the air and sticks in my throat."
"Yasmin's Hammer"is a story about a girl that longs to go to school and learn to real. Yasmin and her sister do child labor instead of attending school. They work at as brick chippers to make money for their family. I love the picture of breaking up the brick that Ann Malaspina paints with her words.
April 7, 2010
I received this book for free through Goodreads first reads. I enjoyed this children's book, but the true test was when I read it to my kids and no sooner did I finish the story they asked that I read it to them again. It is a good story that covers another culture. My children not only enjoyed the story and pictures, but they learned a little bit about another country that is very different from our own. Thank you to Lee & Low who listed this book for giveaway.
September 18, 2010
I always enjoy books set in other countries and this one brings home the different life children in Bangladesh lead compared to here in the U.S. Two sisters work all day breaking up bricks to earn money for their family while longing to attend school. This would be a good picture book accompaniment to the prior MCBA nominee Rickshaw Girl. This book tells an interesting story and give kids a peek into another culture. Nicely illustrated in rich, warm tones.
June 17, 2012
Audience: boys and girls grades 3 and 4 would best appreciate this story
Appeal: colorful and detailed pictures add to the text, message about education being the key to success
List: APALA 2010-2011
I personally did not care for this book. I think there are better ways to teach about poverty, Bangladesh, and the value of education.
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