Many Windows
Six Kids, Five Faiths, One Community
- Publisher
- Dundurn Press
- Initial publish date
- Jun 2008
- Category
- Other, General, General
- Recommended Age
- 9 to 12
- Recommended Grade
- 4 to 7
- Recommended Reading age
- 9 to 12
-
Paperback / softback
- ISBN
- 9781894917568
- Publish Date
- Jun 2008
- List Price
- $14.99
-
eBook
- ISBN
- 9781459726369
- Publish Date
- Jun 2008
- List Price
- $8.99
Classroom Resources
Where to buy it
Description
In the midst of global turmoil, with people of various faiths in major conflict, three friends—a Muslim, a Christian and a Hindu—decided to write a book. Many Windows is a book about young people who are friends despite their religious differences. It’s a book about celebrations, that ultimately celebrates community. Many Windows is a collection of seven stories about six children who are in the same class at school, two white boys, a black girl, a Chinese girl, an Indian girl and a Pakistani boy. They are not necessarily friends, but they all come together in one commnunity at the end of the stories. Each story in the collection centres on a different celebration within the faith of that child. In the appendix, each of the celebrations is explained in more depth, as it is celebrated within that faith community: Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, Judaism and Hinduism. Each story represents a window into the life of the child, or, from a different point of view, the child’s window looking out to the world.
About the authors
Rukhsana Khan was born in Lahore, Pakistan and immigrated to Canada, with her family, at the age of three. She grew up in the small town of Dundas, Ontario. Rukhsana once asked her mother what her name meant. Her mother said it was the name of a queen and it meant ‘girl with rosy cheeks’. When Rukhsana grew up she wanted to change her name to something else but her family urged her not to. They said it suited her well. To many people her name sounds like "Roxanne". Roxanne was the legendary queen of Alexander the Great, who is also a well known historical figure in Asian countries, so it could very well be the same name. Rukhsana began by writing for community magazines and went on to write songs and stories for the Adam's World children's videos. She currently has seven books published and others under contract. Napoleon has published Muslim Child, the rights to which have also been sold in the United States to Albert Whitman and Co. Her next book for Napoleon, Many Windows, will be published in 2008. Rukhsana is a member of SCBWI, The Writers Union of Canada, CANSCAIP, Storytellers of Canada, and the Storytelling School of Toronto. She tells tales of India, Persia and the Middle East, as well as her own stories. She lives in Toronto with her husband and family. She has four children: three girls and a boy.
Uma Krishnaswami's inspiration for this book came from her memory of planting a mango seed as a child and seeing it grow into a tree, and also from a news story about people who planted trees in potholes. She has written many children's books, from picture books to middle grade readers to retellings of classic tales and myths, including Bringing Asha Home (CCBC Choices), The Happiest Tree (Paterson Prize finalist, CCBC Choices, Bank Street College Best Books), Naming Maya (IRA Notable Books for a Global Society) and Chachaji's Cup (Paterson Prize for Books for Young People, Bank Street College Best Books). Her latest middle grade novel, The Grand Plan to Fix Everything, published by Atheneum, received starred reviews in Kirkus and School Library Journal. She teaches at Vermont College of Fine Arts in the MFA program in Writing for Children and Young Adults and is an active blogger. Uma was born in New Delhi, India, and now lives in Aztec, New Mexico.
