Product Description

Timely and timeless -- this illuminating, luminous picture book brings ancient Baghdad to life as it tells the story of one boy's discovery of the power of the written word. This is the story of Ishaq, a young boy in ninth-century Baghdad. And it is the story of the House of Wisdom. More than a house, more than a library, more even than a palace, the House of Wisdom was at the very center of the new ideas that flourished in Baghdad. It was here that thousands of scholars gathered to read, to exchange ideas, and to translate the dusty manuscripts that were brought by camel and ship from all over the world. Ishaq cannot understand why ancient words, words from faraway places, can cause such excitement. Then he embarks on a difficult journey seeking lost manuscripts. But it is what he discovers when he returns that ignites his imagination and changes him forever. Lyrical prose and glorious illustrations capture the splendor of Baghdad when it was the center of one of the world's great civilizations. They tell the story of Ishaq's transformation from a bewildered young boy searching for understanding to a brilliant scholar, the greatest translator of Aristotle, whose work preserved Greek thought for civilizations to come.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #756562 in Books
• Published on: 1999-09-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 48 pages

Amazon.com Review
Young Ishaq wanders through 9th-century Baghdad's packed marketplace, filled with curiosity, awed by the many different people and languages. "They speak so strangely," he whispers to his father. His father, a translator and scribe who works in the caliph's library, the House of Wisdom, replies sagely, "You may not understand them, but that does not mean they have nothing to say."

Mother-and-daughter team Florence Parry Heide and Judith Heide Gilliland weave a beautiful, timeless, and true-life tale, recounting how the House of Wisdom in Baghdad (the then capital of the Islamic Empire) gathered and preserved manuscripts from all around the known world--at a time when Europe languished in the Dark Ages. Ishaq grows up in this vast library with his father, knowing how prized these ancient books are (the caliph gives his father a manuscript's weight in gold for translating it!) but not fully grasping the importance of the legacy they represent. Only after he leads an expedition himself in search of books, "to Cordova and Samarkand, to India and China," does he understand.

Heide and Gilliland's text dovetails with the rich, luminous illustrations by Harry Potter illustrator Mary GrandPré, which exceed even DK Publishing's demanding visual standards. (Ages 4 to 8) --Paul Hughes

From Publishers Weekly
The inspiration for Heide and Gilliland's (Sami and the Time of Troubles; The Day of Ahmed's Secret) ambitious tale is the landmark learning institution built in Baghdad in 830 A.D. by the Caliph al-Ma'mun. Told from the persepective of a boy, Ishaq, who lives in the House of Wisdom with his scholar father, the narrative transports readers to the Islamic Empire, at a time of dramatic academic and cultural growth. Ishaq aspires to the scholarly heights of his father, but finds his studies slow-going, unlike the sports he enjoysA"Then the time flew!" He simply does not share his father's "fire" for learning. But when the Caliph one day chooses Ishaq to lead an expedition in search of ancient manuscripts, Ishaq discovers for himself the truth of his father's wordsAthat the scholars of history are "like the leaves of the same tree, separated by many autumns." The book's lofty subject and weighty text may make it best suited to those who have already been exposed to history's great thinkers, but all readers can appreciate the authentic feeling of the time and setting. Ishaq's character remains intangible, but the House of Wisdom's contribution to modern civilization comes through loudly and clearly. Grandpr?'s (Chin Yu Min and the Ginger Cat) lushly colored pastels detail the ornate patterns of the Baghdad rooftops as easily as they convey the sweltering heat of a caravan of camels. A fitting homage to the quest for knowledge. Ages 4-7. (Sept.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grade 4-7-During the Dark Ages of Europe, the ruler of Baghdad built the House of Wisdom, a vast library to house a collection of books from around the world as well as a center for scholars. The authors tell the story of Ishaq, the son of an accomplished translator. Though a student himself, Ishaq doesn't "feel the fire" of reading and knowledge until he satisfies his restless dream to travel the world on an expedition to acquire books for the great library. On his return, he grows to recognize the enduring qualities of scholastic endeavors and to find the spark in his own spirit that enables him to become the chief translator of the works of Aristotle. That's a tall order for a picture book, and the writing team uses more poetry than detail to suggest the young man's experiences. When the youth questions his father about the wisdom of those who lived 1000 years before them, he is told, "We are like leaves of the same tree, separated by many autumns." Youngsters may have difficulty connecting with Ishaq on their own, but an insightful adult could use this book to engender an appreciation for the contributions of Islamic culture to all civilizations and for the fruits of human curiosity. GrandPr?'s pastel illustrations are both lush and dreamy. Making ample use of Islamic patterns and employing radiant colors, the artist welcomes readers into this story about the heights of human achievement.
Miriam Lang Budin, Chappaqua Public Library, NY
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

A Real Gem
This is by far one of the best, and most beautiful, children's books on the importance of libraries that has yet been published. The text and the illustrations convey what it must have been like in 9th century Baghdad to experience for the first time the importance and value of books. The House of Wisdom should install a love of books in its readers and may even inspire some of them to become librarians.

a gem of a story
A true gem of a story - based on fact, warm and friendly, imbued with that sense of wonder that makes all discovery exciting.

Strongly recommended for anyone, but especially for the 2nd or 3rd grader who needs to progress beyond the formulaic 'novels' popular today.