Arabian Morning

Lisa Arsenault is an elementary-school teacher in Ajax, Ontario.

In this modern retelling of Aladdin’s Lamp, we view events from the
point of view of the genie—and not the traditional genie one would
expect.

The story begins with Katelyn’s mother desiring a cup of morning tea.
The teapot becomes Aladdin’s lamp, and Katelyn, a modern North
American girl, becomes the genie. In the course of her adventures,
Katelyn foils a Grand Vizier, rides a magic handkerchief, and fills the
teapot with water from the Nile River and tea from India.

Arabian Morning is an enchanting book in more ways than one. The plot
is a clever take on an old story. The author’s imagination flows
through the thoughts of the little girl “from the faraway bed in the
long away future.” The writing is lyrical and words are used in highly
original ways. A wonderful description of a bouncing and buzzing alarm
clock—there’s lots of great-to-read-aloud alliteration—concludes
with the room eventually “ringing quiet,” which would seem to be a
contradiction in terms, but rather conjures up resonant echoes. There
are some great “made up” words—often a dangerous, overused device,
but one that works with magical effect here. You can tell that the words
were chosen for their tonal value, as were the words expressing
onomatopoeia.

Charles Bell’s illustrations perfectly match the text—colorful,
slightly abstract, almost askew in their offbeat tone.

Arabian Morning would be a wonderful read-aloud story, with children
following Katelyn as she “rides with her hopes out the window, out
into the dessert.” Highly recommended.