The Shepherd's Granddaughter facts for kids
Shepherd Girl with a goat in the meadow of rolling hills, oil painting by Hans Thoma (1839–1924)
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| Author | Anne Laurel Carter |
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| Cover artist | Sophie Elbaz/Sygma/Corbis (photographer) |
| Country | Canada |
| Genre | Juvenile fiction (11+) |
| Published | December 2008 |
| Publisher | Groundwood Books |
| Pages | 221 pp. |
The Shepherd's Granddaughter is a children's novel written by Anne Laurel Carter and published in 2008. It tells a fictional story about the challenges faced by Jewish and Muslim communities in Palestine. The story is seen through the eyes of Amani, a Palestinian girl who is six years old when the book begins. She watches as the land her family has lived on for generations is taken.
Amani is young and doesn't fully understand why these things are happening. But her way of showing the situation is very touching. Anne Laurel Carter was inspired to write the novel after meeting Palestinians who were going through similar experiences.
The Shepherd's Granddaughter is a story about being brave and determined. It shows how family sticking together can overcome many problems. The book also explores how old traditions mix with new challenges in the modern Palestinian conflict. It also looks at the important role of women in society. The author does a great job of making important and sometimes difficult topics understandable for young readers. A part of the money earned from the book goes to the Children in Crisis Fund. This fund is part of the International Board on Books for Young People.
Contents
What Happens in the Story
Amani is a young Palestinian girl. Her family has a long history of raising sheep near their home in a valley close to Hebron. Their sheep graze above the family's olive groves. Amani loves listening to her grandfather, Seedo, tell stories. She dreams of following in his footsteps and becoming a shepherd herself.
Amani's parents want her to go to school in the village. They hope she will learn to be a good Muslim and wife. But Seedo believes Amani should learn to tend sheep. He wants her to make sure the family's traditions continue. Amani learns to be a good shepherd from Seedo's teachings. The old man also tells her stories about a secret meadow called Firdoos.
As new settlements are built by Jewish families, Amani's home and pasture land are threatened. The land her family uses to graze sheep is in danger. As she goes higher on the mountain, she finds what seems to be Firdoos. This is the mythical pasture from Seedo's stories. There, she meets a boy named Jonathan, who is the son of a Jewish settler.
The thought of her family's way of life being destroyed makes Amani want to go to school. She hopes to learn English so she can talk to the settlers. At school, she meets other girls who are facing similar problems. Not only is Amani's home being destroyed, but her family is also separated. Her mom goes to Canada to visit her dying mother. But then she cannot return to Palestine. Her father and uncle are put in prison for speaking out against what was happening.
With surprising help from a rabbi, a woman lawyer, and a Christian Peacemaker Team (a group that helps bring peace), the family is finally able to reunite. They begin to rebuild what was destroyed.
Book Awards and Honors
Since it was published in 2008, Anne Carter's novel has won honors in eight award programs. These include:
- The Canadian Library Association Book of the Year for Children Award
- The Society of School Librarians International Best Book Award
- The Jane Addams Children's Book Award Honor Book
Main Characters
Here are some of the important characters in the story:
Amani: A Palestinian girl. Her name means "Wish," but people call her "the sheep girl." She is the main character of the story.
Seedo: Amani's grandfather. He is the shepherd who teaches Amani.
Mama (Rose): Amani's mother.
Sitti: Amani's grandmother.
Nasty: The ram (a male sheep).
Omar: Amani's 10-year-old brother.
Amma Fatima: Ammo Hani's wife and Amani's aunt.
Wardeh: Amani's older cousin. She is the oldest of five girls in her family.
Ammo Hani: Seedo's oldest son. He becomes a prisoner of the Settlers.
Aref: Amani's cousin. He teaches Amani how to read and write in the evening. This lets her shepherd during the day.
Nahla: Amani's cousin who married Al Khalil.
Miss Aboushi: The school teacher.
The vet: Gives Amani advice on how to care for the sheep.
Romania: A special sheep given to Amani by the vet. She is a rare breed.
Mudher: Seedo's only living brother. He comes to help during the olive harvest.
Black face: Romania's lamb (baby sheep).
Sahem: The family dog.
Musical Sitti: Amani's grandmother on her mother's side. She lives in Toronto and is very sick. Rose travels to see her.
The Rabbi: A friend of Baba's (Amani's father) from Jerusalem. He helps the family talk with the settlers. The settlers are building a highway on the family's land.
Raja: A friend of Wardeh from school.
Jonathan ("The boy"): A Jewish boy from New York. He came to Palestine to visit his father. His father is working on the settler highway.
Souad, Alia, Dana and Hania: Amani's schoolmates. They are also affected by the highway construction.
Islan: Amani's uncle who lives in the village.
Lawyer: A woman from Tel Aviv who works to protect human rights.
Abu Nader: A shepherd and friend of Seedo.
About the Author
Anne Laurel Carter was born and grew up in Don Mills, Ontario, Canada. She started traveling when she was seventeen. Her adventures took her to Scotland and Israel. In Israel, she studied Hebrew. She met her first husband, an American man, on a Kibbutz (a type of community in Israel). They moved to Los Angeles and got married.
Anne Laurel then decided to study to work with children. She earned a master's degree in Education. She taught immigrants in Toronto who shared their life stories with her. These stories later inspired her writing. This experience was very eye-opening for her. Anne Laurel Carter also taught in remote communities in Canada and enjoyed it. She didn't think about becoming a writer until she became a mother with her second husband. Her four young children sparked her imagination and led her to become a writer.
Other Awards and Nominations
Here are more awards and nominations for The Shepherd's Granddaughter:
- 2010 Red Maple Award Nominee
- 2009 CLA Book of the Year Award for Children
- 2009 Honor Book for the Jane Addams Book Award for peace
- 2009 IRA Notable Book for a Global Society
- 2009 USBBY Outstanding International Book
More Books by Anne Laurel Carter
Anne Laurel Carter has written many books. These include picture books, young adult books, and books for adults.
Her young adult books include:
- The Shepherd's Grand-Daughter (Groundwood, 2008)
- Last Chance Bay (Penguin, 2004)
- In the Clear (Orca, 2001)
- The trilogy Our Canadian Girl (Penguin, 2002-2005-2006)
- No Missing Parts Short: Stories About Real Princesses (Red Deer Press, Fall 2002)
