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katykelly's review against another edition
5.0
A hard-hitting story simplified for a young audience, still inspiring
This is Malala's story, but streamlined and made clear enough for even a young child.
I really like the style of illustration used, rather beautiful coloured drawings, detailed and the characters really look Malala and her father and the scenes from her life are sympathetic.
This tells us about her experiences in her home country, how girls were stopped from attending school and Malala put herself in danger by speaking out. The poverty of her surroundings isn't skipped over and is brought in just enough to raise interest and questions in readers.
While it misses out the detail that would upset some children, the details are all there between the lines for adults to bring up, if they so wish.
The writing is straightforward but confident, the voice of a girl who has been through and seen much but has used it to bolster her own confidence and compassion. She talks to the reader, and hopefully will inspire other young people to look around them and care too.
Could be used in classrooms for primary students or as a bedtime read. For ages 5 and above.
With thanks to Netgalley for the advance reading copy.
This is Malala's story, but streamlined and made clear enough for even a young child.
I really like the style of illustration used, rather beautiful coloured drawings, detailed and the characters really look Malala and her father and the scenes from her life are sympathetic.
This tells us about her experiences in her home country, how girls were stopped from attending school and Malala put herself in danger by speaking out. The poverty of her surroundings isn't skipped over and is brought in just enough to raise interest and questions in readers.
While it misses out the detail that would upset some children, the details are all there between the lines for adults to bring up, if they so wish.
The writing is straightforward but confident, the voice of a girl who has been through and seen much but has used it to bolster her own confidence and compassion. She talks to the reader, and hopefully will inspire other young people to look around them and care too.
Could be used in classrooms for primary students or as a bedtime read. For ages 5 and above.
With thanks to Netgalley for the advance reading copy.
trevoryan's review against another edition
4.0
Try to read this book without getting chills. Malala is an inspiration for the ages.
labunnywtf's review against another edition
5.0
While I wasn't looking, my nephew plucked this off my shelf specifically for checked out library books. I came into the living room to find him lazily flipping through the pages. I sat down to read it to him, at which point he promptly got up and wandered away. I had clearly thrown off his groove.
Pfft. 2-year olds.
This is an absolutely gorgeous book. Not just the illustrations, but the story itself. It starts out sweet and funny, a story about how Malala watched a show involving a magic pencil and dreamed of all the wonderful things she would draw for herself and her family. Then, once she grew up and saw the state of the world outside her safe home, she dreamed of drawing things to help people in her community.
And then as she continued to grow, and her country continued to change, her pencil got the attention of the entire world.
This is a truly wonderful book. Don't listen to my nephew.
Pfft. 2-year olds.
This is an absolutely gorgeous book. Not just the illustrations, but the story itself. It starts out sweet and funny, a story about how Malala watched a show involving a magic pencil and dreamed of all the wonderful things she would draw for herself and her family. Then, once she grew up and saw the state of the world outside her safe home, she dreamed of drawing things to help people in her community.
And then as she continued to grow, and her country continued to change, her pencil got the attention of the entire world.
This is a truly wonderful book. Don't listen to my nephew.
ellornaslibrary's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism, Misogyny, and Religious bigotry
thebookishunicorn's review
5.0
"One child, one teacher, one book and one pen can change the world."
This was a beautifully told and illustrated picture book about Malala and her life before she became a famous advocate for girl's education. I would recommend for many parents to read this to their children!
This was a beautifully told and illustrated picture book about Malala and her life before she became a famous advocate for girl's education. I would recommend for many parents to read this to their children!
fyrekatz's review against another edition
4.0
Short but to the point which is good for a 32 page story! Loved everything from the story to the artwork! I was reading this for the art section of the Bookemon but I think it will be better in the diversity challenge!
tinynavajo's review
5.0
A short biography by Malala Yousafzai about her life in Pakistan and how she came to find her own power in her voice, rather than relying on others to speak up for her. An excellent introduction to her life.
richardiporter's review
5.0
Everyone should read this.
Everyone should read this to their kids.
Malala shares her story, her dream of changing the world for better. Adults will benefit as well from children from this book.
In detail:
There are few books that choke me up and move me to tears. That cause a deep and aching sadness in me. There are even fewer children books that have this effect. Malala's Magic Pencil is one of these. My oldest daughter has been getting more and more skilled cat reading. We practice together every night before bed. We've been making a lot of progress. We had been getting a lot of practice in reading fro cheer mythology atlas of the world. Sometimes she proudly reads a children's book to me all on here own. The first she did the with was about aa mouse going to a swimming pool. The first she specifically said she wanted to read all by herself was the new children classic the pigeon has to go to School. Most of the time we practice with her reading the first or last sentence of a paragraph or the shorter paragraph of the two pages. She always chooses what the book of the night will be.
Last night she chose Malala's Magic Pencil. We've read it before, and I've actually forgotten who got it for her. But the last time I was reading all of it. And though I felt emotional when I Was reading it before, this time she was reading large parts of it. To hear my first grade daughter reading words to me, written by Malala Yusoufzi about herself when she was thee age my daughter is was striking. Malala writes of growing up less fortunate than most western children and how she wished for a magic pencil to draw nice little things for herself, an extra hour to sleep in, a lock on her door to keep her brothers out, flower gardens to mask the smell of the trash dump near their house. I asked my daughter what she thought of this, how it made her feel. She said sad that kids should be able to go to school. I asked her to imagine what it would be like if she had to work so that she and her sister could eat instead of going to school. I told her there are some kids for whom this is a reality.
Malala writes of wanting to draw things for others, dresses for her mother, fine school buildings for her father to teach in, a soccer ball for her brothers instead of a sock stuffed with rubbish to play with. Then she touches on seeing children her own age far worse off than she, sorting trash in the dump, picking out scraps, working so their families can eat instead of going to school. Her father explains this to her sadly. She imagines using her magic pencil to solve poverty, to build peace, to build equality between boys and girls. She wonders how free she can really be in her country, in her culture as a girl, despite her father's wishes for her to be as free as a bird. Then she talks about dangerous men coming to her village, openly carrying weapons. She talks about the dwindling of girls in her school class and her father explaining that they no longer feel safe. She writes of how she chose to take up her pencil, to use her voice to tell the world about what was happening, about how girls didn't feel safe seeking education. She talks about how her voice became powerful. So powerful that the dangerous men sought to silence her.
She uses the effect of stark black for the page that describes this, with white text on it. My daughter said "oooh pretty dark page." I asked her if she remembered what I told her about how the dangerous men tried to silence Malala. She said she didn't. I told her that the dangerous men tried to shoot Malala. That they DID shoot Malala. My daughter looked surprised. And I hurriedly added "But she lived! She survived! That's why the next picture is her in a hospital looking out the window, see the tag on her arm and the gown?"
Malala goes on to talk about how her raising her voice, the attack on her, her survival led to a swelling of support for her message for education and for more equality for girls. My daughter was happy with the closing message of the opportunity that education brings, and we ended on the high note that she and her sister both get to go to school tomorrow.
Please give it a read.
5 Star reviews mean I loved it, will read it again, recommend it for anyone, AND it changed my mind about something important.
Everyone should read this to their kids.
Malala shares her story, her dream of changing the world for better. Adults will benefit as well from children from this book.
In detail:
There are few books that choke me up and move me to tears. That cause a deep and aching sadness in me. There are even fewer children books that have this effect. Malala's Magic Pencil is one of these. My oldest daughter has been getting more and more skilled cat reading. We practice together every night before bed. We've been making a lot of progress. We had been getting a lot of practice in reading fro cheer mythology atlas of the world. Sometimes she proudly reads a children's book to me all on here own. The first she did the with was about aa mouse going to a swimming pool. The first she specifically said she wanted to read all by herself was the new children classic the pigeon has to go to School. Most of the time we practice with her reading the first or last sentence of a paragraph or the shorter paragraph of the two pages. She always chooses what the book of the night will be.
Last night she chose Malala's Magic Pencil. We've read it before, and I've actually forgotten who got it for her. But the last time I was reading all of it. And though I felt emotional when I Was reading it before, this time she was reading large parts of it. To hear my first grade daughter reading words to me, written by Malala Yusoufzi about herself when she was thee age my daughter is was striking. Malala writes of growing up less fortunate than most western children and how she wished for a magic pencil to draw nice little things for herself, an extra hour to sleep in, a lock on her door to keep her brothers out, flower gardens to mask the smell of the trash dump near their house. I asked my daughter what she thought of this, how it made her feel. She said sad that kids should be able to go to school. I asked her to imagine what it would be like if she had to work so that she and her sister could eat instead of going to school. I told her there are some kids for whom this is a reality.
Malala writes of wanting to draw things for others, dresses for her mother, fine school buildings for her father to teach in, a soccer ball for her brothers instead of a sock stuffed with rubbish to play with. Then she touches on seeing children her own age far worse off than she, sorting trash in the dump, picking out scraps, working so their families can eat instead of going to school. Her father explains this to her sadly. She imagines using her magic pencil to solve poverty, to build peace, to build equality between boys and girls. She wonders how free she can really be in her country, in her culture as a girl, despite her father's wishes for her to be as free as a bird. Then she talks about dangerous men coming to her village, openly carrying weapons. She talks about the dwindling of girls in her school class and her father explaining that they no longer feel safe. She writes of how she chose to take up her pencil, to use her voice to tell the world about what was happening, about how girls didn't feel safe seeking education. She talks about how her voice became powerful. So powerful that the dangerous men sought to silence her.
She uses the effect of stark black for the page that describes this, with white text on it. My daughter said "oooh pretty dark page." I asked her if she remembered what I told her about how the dangerous men tried to silence Malala. She said she didn't. I told her that the dangerous men tried to shoot Malala. That they DID shoot Malala. My daughter looked surprised. And I hurriedly added "But she lived! She survived! That's why the next picture is her in a hospital looking out the window, see the tag on her arm and the gown?"
Malala goes on to talk about how her raising her voice, the attack on her, her survival led to a swelling of support for her message for education and for more equality for girls. My daughter was happy with the closing message of the opportunity that education brings, and we ended on the high note that she and her sister both get to go to school tomorrow.
Please give it a read.
5 Star reviews mean I loved it, will read it again, recommend it for anyone, AND it changed my mind about something important.