Review: What's the Matter, Habibi?

Bibliography:

Lewin, Betsy. 1997. What’s the Matter, Habibi? New York: Clarion. ISBN 039585816X

Plot Summary:

Ahmed uses his camel Habibi to give rides to the local children. One day Habibi sits down and refuses to get up. But what is wrong with Habibi? After giving the camel his shoes, Habibi runs off leaving a distraught Ahmed to search for him. Later Habibi and Ahmed are reunited, Habibi having obtained a red fez making him “the handsomest camel in all the land.” The author states that the book was inspired by a real-life camel driver she and her husband met in Egypt.

Critical Analysis:

What is the matter with the camel Habibi? Given the charming character Lewin creates in Habibi, children will want to find out. Lewin’s playful text is simple and contains rhythmic elements, alliteration (“Ahmed pushed and pulled and pleaded”), and a liberal dose of onomatopoeia (“Then he ran off, slappity-slap, slappity-slap”).

Although the text itself is enjoyable to read, Lewin’s watercolors are what truly create the humor and character in the book. Habibi, in particular, comes to life through the illustrations. Scenes such as Habibi making his getaway in his master’s babouches and the facial expressions he makes while stubbornly refusing to get up are priceless.

The setting is never explicitly stated, but it is obviously Middle Eastern. The author creates a strange blend of old and new through the illustrations. Most of the Middle Eastern offerings are traditional – the babouches, the fez, the hookah pipes, robes, and turbans. These certainly offer opportunities to introduce children to cultural elements that might be unfamiliar. More modern depictions of Middle Eastern life are not present here. Also, while the setting is Middle Eastern, the children in the book are not uniformly so. Lewin’s simple watercolors create a similar “flesh” tone for all of the children in the book that is light-colored, but does not necessarily denote a particular race. In contrast to the traditional attire of Ahmed, the children in the book are dressed in a modern style that looks more Western than Middle Eastern.

Ahmed learns that the needs of Habibi are important, even if Habibi cannot easily express them. Young readers will also understand Habibi’s desire to grow and be appreciated as an individual (in a red fez) in this enjoyable book.

Review Excerpts:

“Lewin's expressive, playful line-and-watercolor illustrations bring to life this funny tale” - School Library Journal (September 1, 1997)

“Lewin's (Chubbo's Pool) agile, spontaneous-looking watercolors combine graceful scrawls and squiggles with watercolor washes, humorously depicting the owner's struggle with his stubborn charge and Habibi's frisky stride through the purple-shadowed crowds of the bazaar” - Publishers Weekly (June 2, 1997)

Connections:

Read other books by Betsy Lewin (i.e. Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type) and compare.

Secure a guest speaker or find video to discuss the traditional objects in the book and how they may or may not still play a role in modern Arab culture.

Take a field trip to the zoo and see real camels!

Discuss how animals are able to communicate their needs without speaking. Do people do the same thing?