I hear the prayers of our worshipers, which are like the rattle of pebbles in a pan, too numerous to sort out. Soon I can see and hear and smell across great distances and through objects, just as the other Akkan gods can. I call them by their own names, as is the custom.

I am the god of the winds, and I hate confinement. If a blanket is tucked around me, I bellow. When I’m lowered into my sleeping basket, I cry. When my diaper cloth is tied in place, I kick. From its center the temple rises: our home, a tower of porous white stone mounted on four stout stone legs. In the air over volcanic Mount Enshi hovers Enshi Rock. Fortunately, Arduk catches me in his big, gentle hands.Īlthough Hannu lies in bed and Arduk stands holding me, we are also floating above the earth. It is too tight in Hannu’s belly! I thread my strong wind into her womb, and my strong wind thrusts me flying out. My pado, Arduk, god of agriculture, sits at Hannu’s bedside, awaiting my birth. She is Hannu, Akkan goddess of the earth and of pottery. I AM HUGE IN MY MATI’S womb, straining her wide tunic. They are clothed like birds, with feathers.Ī Sneak Peek at Gail Carson Levine’s Next Novel, A Tale of Two Castles They see no light, they dwell in darkness,

Then Jephthah came to his home at Mizpah and there was his daughter coming out to meet him with timbrels and with dancing. Many thanks to Betsy Levine for guiding me through the mysteries of knotted rug weaving. If your child does want to listen or read this, please discuss the theme and resolution of this book because I feel it a little rushed and does not make up for the extreme amount of abuse that Aza subjects herself to when it comes to her appearance.To Bev and Allan, friends forever ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I just don’t think it’s the most healthy book for building up a young child’s confidence. While I am think it was wonderful there was more realistic growth at the end and it wasn’t a “happily ever after I found love so I love myself”, I don’t think the last ten pages of the book really made up for the hours of berating herself for her appearance. I was getting so annoyed at Aza’s obsession with beauty and fixation on her ugliness. There is a frustratingly amount of negative self talk that even though there is growth at the end, dominates the story and theme.

As an elementary school social worker, I don’t know if I would necessarily recommend this to a young girl. (The side characters also weren’t as well developed either though so this is partly due to the writing) I would have thought this the perfect book to include music like the Ella Enchanted one, but nope. Even by the end of the book, I was struggling keeping the names of minor characters straight because there was no significant differentiation between the voices. Lots of negative self talk, but was enjoyable

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