Kassim's Shoes is a 1977 children's book by Harold Berson. A retelling of a Moroccan folktale, it was published by Crown to highly positive reviews.
 | |
| Author | Harold Berson |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Harold Berson |
| Language | English |
| Genre |
|
| Published | November 1977[1] |
| Publisher | Crown[2] |
| Publication place | United States |
| Pages | 32[2] (unpaged)[1] |
| ISBN | 0-517-53063-5 |
Synopsis
editThe people of a Moroccan village offer a new pair of shoes to a local merchant, Kassim, in exchange for his old tattered one; mishaps ensue every time he tries to give it away.[1][3][4]
Background
editHarold Berson's work is a retelling of "Abu Kassim's Shoes",[5] a folktale from Morocco[3] which has circulated across the Middle East since the 14th–15th centuries, and may have entered Europe by way of Spain.[5] The original tale is also known under the titles of "The Shoes of Abu Kasim", "The Pair of Old Slippers", "The Pantofles",[5] "The Everlasting Shoes",[6] and "The Tale of the Qadi and His Slipper"[7] among several other variations.[7] It has also received adaptations by Nancy Green (1963)[8] and Geraldine McCaughrean (1982).[6]
Reception
editReviews for Kassim's Shoes were highly positive, with praise going towards Berson's illustrations.[1][3][4] The School Library Journal called it "an attractive picture-story",[1] while the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books found it "nicely retold".[3] The Christian Science Monitor's Gene Langley predicted that "children will have more fun [than their parents] following the story to its right and proper ending."[9] As Barbara Pierce of the Poughkeepsie Journal said, "Here's proof that a simple, everyday thing can be the basis for a good story, if imaginatively handled."[4]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e McConnell, Ruth M. (January 1978). "The Book Review: PreSchool & Primary Grades: 'Kassim's Shoes'". School Library Journal. Vol. 24, no. 5. p. 75. ISSN 0362-8930. Retrieved June 30, 2024 – via EBSCOhost.
- ^ a b "Folklore: 'Kassim's Shoes'". Children's Books 1977. Library of Congress: 11–12. May 1978. ISSN 0069-3464. Retrieved June 30, 2024 – via HathiTrust.
- ^ a b c d "Review: 'Kassim's Shoes'". Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books. 31 (7). University of Chicago Press: 107. March 1978. Retrieved June 30, 2024 – via HathiTrust.
- ^ a b c Pierce, Barbara (February 19, 1978). "Children's bookshelf: Author creates winner with 'Kassim's Shoes'". Poughkeepsie Journal. p. 22B. Retrieved June 30, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c Hespelt, E. H.; Williams, Robert H. (August 1951). Hespelt, E. H.; Williams, Robert H. (eds.). "Questions and Answers". Hispania. 34 (3). American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese: 295–296. ISSN 0018-2133. JSTOR 333648. Retrieved July 2, 2024 – via JSTOR.
- ^ a b Smith, Chris (August 11, 2014). "Chapter 5 Year 5 Stories". 147 Traditional Stories for Primary School Children to Retell. Hawthorn Press. p. pos. 576. ISBN 978-1-907359-52-1. Retrieved July 2, 2024 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b Anonymous (November 1843). "The Story of Abul Cassim's Shoes". The Knickerbocker. Vol. 22, no. 5. Quoted in Choi, Stephanie, ed. (April 16, 2015). "The Story of Abul Cassim's Shoes (Annotated)". The Antebellum Magazine Edition Project. University of Arizona. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
- ^ MacDonald, Margaret Read (1982). "Bibliography of Collections and Single Editions Indexed". The Storyteller's Sourcebook (First ed.). Neal-Schuman Publishers in association with Gale Research. p. 798. ISBN 0-8103-0471-6. Retrieved July 2, 2024 – via Archive.org.
- ^ Langley, Gene (May 3, 1978). "Review: 'Kassim's Shoes'". The Christian Science Monitor. p. B10. Quoted in Mooney, Martha T., ed. (1979). "Berson, Harold. Kassim's Shoes". Book Review Digest 1978. The H.W. Wilson Company. p. 107. ISBN 978-99975-0-112-7. ISSN 0006-7326. Retrieved July 2, 2024 – via Archive.org.