REVIEW: HISTORICAL FICTION/BIOGRAPHY
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Stanley, Diane. 2002. Saladin: noble Prince of Islam. Scranton, PA: Harper Collins. ISBN 0-688-17136-2
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Long before Saladin is born, crusaders conquered his land. At 14, he joins the Turkish sultan Nur al Din’s army. Saladin grows up to be a kind and courageous leader. When Nur al-Din dies, Saladin believes that he is the only one that can keep the empire together. While he is at war with the Nur al-Din’s sons, Saladin signs a four-year truce with the Franks. In 1185 Saladin finally makes peace with his fellow Muslims. The truce with the Franks is cut short by Reginald of Chatillon. Saladin gathers a huge army to fight back. With time and experience, Saladin acquires the vision and wisdom to lead his citizens to fight side by side the armies of the First Crusade led by Richard the Lionheart. Saladin is generous to his enemies and longs for peace.
“… he ordered his soldiers to treat the enemy as brothers: there was to be no looting or burning.”
Saladin and his army fight the Christian army led by King Guy and the great knights of the land, including Raymond to gradually conquer the Kingdom of Jerusalem. The Relic of the True Cross, said to be a piece of the actual cross on which Jesus was crucified, is now in Muslim hands. The only “arrow left in the quiver of the infidels” is Tyre.
The years of constant fighting has taken a toll on Saladin’s army. His greatest enemy is Richard. Richard is not as kind and generous to his enemies as Saladin. Saladin loses the fight for Tyre to Richard. On September 2, 1192 Saladin and Richard sign a truce that lasts three years. The Franks (Christians) keep the coastline from Tyre to Jaffa. The rest of the Kingdom, including Jerusalem, belongs to Muslims.
Saladin dies on March 4, 1193. At his deathbed, he gives his son the following advice:
“Win the hearts of your people and watch over their prosperity; for it is to secure their happiness that you are appointed by God and by me….I have become as great as I am because I have won men’s hearts by gentleness and kindness.”
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Diane Stanley gives a Muslim perspective of the Crusades. She portrays Saladin as a compassionate and respectful leader who has excellent military skills. She compares Saladin with Richard, who is depicted as a bully who slaughters 3, 000 hostages at Acre. Saladin always looks for a peaceful way to handle the war. For instance, he sends the following message to a knight called Balian in his fight for Jerusalem:
“I believe that Jerusalem is the House of God, as you also believe. And I will not willingly lay siege to the House of God or put it to the assault.”
The language is simple and the information organized clearly. The font is large and easy to read. Each page in the story has a full-page illustration that complements the text. The glossary at the end of the book describes uncommon words such as caliph, Franks, infidel, mangonnel, muezzin, and vizier.
The bibliography indicates that the author has researched the history of the Crusades thoroughly. She has also examined the Crusades with several Arab and/or Muslim viewpoints. The full-page illustrations depict life in the 12th century. The tapestries, rugs, artifacts, décor, weapons, landscapes, animals, clothing, and armor realistically represent the setting and period of the biography.
This biography can be a great inspiration to children and adults from all religions. Saladin is a model hero with characteristics that children and adults can emulate.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
School Library Journal, 09/01/2002
Gr 3-7-Attentive readers of this book-those who can wrest their eyes from the illustrations-will learn some history, some geography, and quite a lot about Islam, as well as about the life of Salah al-Din. (One interesting fact is that he was neither an Arab nor a Turk, but a Kurd.) Even more important, however, may be the chance to put oneself in the shoes of "the enemy," an exercise that is as useful today as it would have been in 1099. Anyone who still harbors romantic ideas about the Crusades will be disabused of them here. The harsh glare of history scours secular and religious leaders alike. Even Richard the Lionhearted appears as both a brilliant commander and "an obnoxious bully," and in light of his slaughter of 3000 hostages at Acre, who could disagree? Saladin is not depicted as flawless, and the attitude of Islam toward women is noted. Yet, on the whole, the great and generous Muslim leader is portrayed as being far nobler than any competitor. Each full page of text is a mini-chapter, a self-contained part of the overall narrative, so that readers can pause and linger over the opposing full-page illustration. These pictures, enlivened by saturated, jewel-like blues, reds, and greens, combine Western realism with pattern and composition recalling Turkish miniatures. Countless details of dress, armor, domestic interiors, and landscape evoke the period and setting. The beauty and sophistication of Islamic culture shine through Stanley's glorious pictures. A timely and splendid addition to the author's earlier biographical profiles.-Patricia D. Lothrop, St. George's School, Newport, RI Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
BookList, 09/01/2002
Gr. 5-8. Stanley adds to her long list of successful picture biographies this timely book about an Islamic warrior noted for his civility. Beginning with the birth of the boy who comes to be called Saladin, she recounts the first words he (and all Muslim children) hear: "There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is his Prophet." Stanley sets the stage for the panoramic story by studding it with details of time and place. As a boy, Saladin hears the story of how the Christians conquered Jerusalem, leaving dead bodies of all religions in their wake. Vowing to somehow rectify this situation, Saladin first becomes a soldier, uniting his people, then a leader, taking on the Christians. The story of Saladin battling his way back to Jerusalem is complicated and filled with blood and intrigue, and Stanley tells it vigorously. But more interesting is the parallel journey she recounts as Saladin tries to maintain his honor and chivalry in the midst of horrendous fighting. Trying to cover a personal story and history in 48 pages is a challenge. Sometimes details are glossed over. For instance, readers might be left with the impression that relics, such as a fragment of the "true" cross, were legitimate. Events occasionally seem compressed. But the generally strong telling is more than matched by glorious paintings that mirror Islamic artwork of the times. Alive with pattern and brilliant with streaks of illumination, the art is some of Stanley's finest--and that speaks volumes. -- Ilene Cooper. Booklist, published by the American Library Association.
Kirkus Reviews, 07/15/2002
Stanley, in her usual style (Michelangelo, 2000, etc.), gives a brief, lavishly illustrated account of this famous Muslim leader who united his people against the Christian Crusaders of the 12th century. Saladin was a Kurd who joined the army of the Turkish Sultan Nur al-Din at the age of 14. Propelled quickly to a powerful position through courage, charisma, and chance, he was a popular leader who was well known even to the Christians for being merciful. The story that Stanley tells is one almost entirely of battles and plays for power (as, one would assume, the records of the time allow us). Though it will appeal to the young reader who already enjoys battle stories, her somewhat dry text may lose more generally interested readers. Each page of text is illustrated with a border and faces a full-page painting. Stanley's richly colorful scenes are decorated with Persian-influenced patterns, making this inviting to page through. (Curiously, everyone in her illustrations has the same relatively pale tone of skin.) A short author's note and postscript frame the story in its historical context. A glossary and bibliography of adult titles conclude the work. Though this will leave readers with some questions (Stanley provides no references for some of the more interesting tidbits that they may be curious about), it brings this hero to light for a young audience, who may only be familiar with this period from the Christian history. (Nonfiction. 9-12) Copyright 2003, VNU Business Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved
5. CONNECTIONS
Use biography books in the classroom to supplement social studies textbooks. Get students to draw a timeline of the wars in the book. Also, guide students to use Venn Diagrams to compare and contrast the characters of Saladin and Richard.
Other similar books by Stanley, Diane:
Cleopatra 0688154808
Peter the Great 068816708X
Joan of Arc 0064437485
Other biographical children’s books:
Abraham Lincoln by Kathie Billingslea Smith 0671641484
Martin’s big words: the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by Doreen Rappaport 078682591X
Richard the Lionheart and the Third Crusade: The English King Confronts Saladin, Ad 1191 (The Library of the Middle Ages) by David Hilliam 0823942139
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