#499 of 1001 · December 12, 2021

Today I’m enjoying Ali and the Magic Stew by Shulamit Levey Oppenheim and Winslow Pels. In Persia, a wealthy merchant sick with fever asks for shula kalambar, a fragrant stew. Ali, his haughty son, sets out to retrieve the necessary ingredients and cure his father. A wise beggar outside the family home tells the boy that, in order for the stew to restore his father to fill health, he must pay for the supplies with coins begged from the street. Ali’s rough treatment as he pleads for money dressed in rags gives him a stark glimpse of human cruelty, and he returns home wiser and kinder for his experience. Oppenheim crafts a tale celebrating the virtues of humility and respect, with Pels providing a landscape of variegated colors and patterns. #magic #stew #kindness #book #books #childrensbooks #beautifulbook #beautifulbooks #beautifulbookcover #beautifulbookcovers #picturebook #picturebooks #picturebookillustration #picturebookillustrations #picturebookart #classicchildrensbooks #childrensbookillustration #childrensliterature #illustration #kidlit #kidsbooks #bookworm #booklover #booklovers #bibliophile #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagrammers #instabook #instabooks