Ted and Betsy Lewin
Horse Song: The Naadam of Mongolia
Lee and Low, 2008
The gorgeous illustration on the first-page, imitating an exotic and well-browsed book, tells us that we are about to enter another world. Horse Song records in vivid words and images Ted and Betsy Lewin's journey to Mongolia to witness the Nadaam festival. The festival features a race in which middle-school-aged children ride semi-wild horses fourteen miles in the Gobi desert. Through the Lewins' travelogue we enter in the everyday rhythms of Mongolian life, like making curds from mare's milk, and hear of common dreams like winning the horse race. We learn about cultural expectations as when we squeeze alongside the Lewins into a tent so as to accept the hospitality offered us; and we experience in the curious gazes of our Mongolian hosts ourselves as Other. And, of course, there is the horse race, and there is no escape from a narrative that accelerates to a full-gallop finish.
The book marvelously transports us to another culture on another continent, and we hope one day to make use of the extra facts and the glossary the Lewins share with us.
I've just stumbled on your blog and am really excited to have found it. First, because the book you've featured, 'Horse Song' sounds terrific and I'll be ordering it right away. Secondly, I'm also a mother who has half Chinese children since my husband is an 'ABC' and I'm Canadian. When our sons were little I couldn't find much in the way of modern stories with Chinese characters, so I wrote a chapter book and it's now been out for a few months. However, the second one that I'm still writing takes place in Mongolia during Nadaam Festival where I took my boys a couple of years ago. So running across your blog today was great luck. The Year of the Rabbit is starting out to be very lucky.
ReplyDeleteDear Bonnie,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments. I'm so glad that you found this blog! Would you be willing to share the title of your first book? Have you come across other books that you think belong on this blog so that others may know about them? I'd welcome your suggestions. Meanwhile, best of luck with your second book project. I'll look forward to reading more about the Nadaam.