The Treasures of Trinkamalee

Lisa Arsenault is an elementary-school teacher in Ajax.

Narrated in poetry by one of the principals, this story tells the
adventures of four sailors who, having heard of the fabulous treasures
of the Sultan of Trinkamalee, set out to acquire some of the riches for
themselves. They are caught, one is killed, and the other three are
imprisoned. In prison they reminisce about their lives and voyages
before this ill-fated venture, and are overheard by the son of the
Sultan, who envies them a freedom he has never known and who eventually
helps them to escape. He gives a jewel to each of the sailors; the
narrator has kept his ruby for 50 years in order to give it to his dead
friend’s son, to whom he is recounting the story.

The themes of friendship, loyalty, and obligation are expressed very
strongly through the actions of the narrator, a very poor, shabby old
man who felt morally bound to turn over the ruby to its rightful owner.
Young children will enjoy the pictures and the rhythm of the poetry, but
this story is perhaps better suited to junior school-age children.
Although the loyalty theme is a redeeming factor, this is, after all, a
romanticized story about thievery, and an older child will recognize
that there would have been no death and imprisonment had the men not
been there to steal. Some of the vocabulary is quite advanced, and
several words will require definitions. In keeping with the subject of
riches and the exotic locale, illustrations are colored in rich,
jewel-tone shades that, together with the Byzantine details, make them
reminiscent of a Persian carpet. Recommended.