King for a Day

by Rukhsana Khan and Christiane Kromer

From his rooftop perch, Malik is perfectly positioned to participate in the kite-flying... read more

From his rooftop perch, Malik is perfectly positioned to participate in the kite-flying battles that are part of Basant, the celebration of spring. This year, he has great confidence in the small kite he’s made and given the name Falcon. The boy next door, a bully whom Malik never names, has a huge kite Malik calls Goliath. It’s one of the first ones Malik and Falcon cut down, but far from the last as he battles dozens of colorful kites in the sky. By day’s end, Malik is basking in victory and surrounded by a bounty of kites. So when the bully steals the kite of a small girl on the street far below, Malik tosses his first conquest down to her: Goliath. A wonderfully told story set in Lahore, Pakistan, is set against dynamic mixed-media collage illustrations and followed by an informative author’s note telling more about Basant and the kite battles. The illustrations show that Malik and his family are Muslim; and that Malik uses a wheelchair. (Ages 5–8)

© Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2015

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