| A young girl, Saba, learns to face fear when she is trapped in the bathhouse with a snake, which she bravely traps under a bucket rather than endangering anyone else by yelling for help. She soon discovers to her great relief, that her snake is actually Nani's "nala," a rope to tie drawstring pants. Having handily dealt with what could have been a very real danger, young Saba can now assert herself among the chickens that have always terrified her with their "bony beaks, razor claws, with glittery eyes that wonder, wonder as they watch me, how easy it would be to make me scream." Their feathers fly as she runs, shouting, "I am Saba! The Ruler of the courtyard." The predominantly red-and-yellow-toned illustrations make clever use of proportion and perspective to emphasize the outsize nature of fear. Their loose-lined, scratchy look echoes the chickens clawing in the hot, dry yard. Saba's story, ostensibly set in Pakistan, will resonate with children who must stand up to their own particular dread. |
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