The Jasmine Sneeze

by Nadine Kaadan, Nadine Kaadan (Illustrator)

Overview

A magical tale set in the jasmine-scented courtyards of Damascus, Syria.

Haroun, the cat, likes nothing better than to spend his days sleeping in the sunlit courtyards of Damascus. Yet one thing always ruins his sleep: jasmine! The sweet-scented flowers send him into fits of sneezes! One day, Haroun hatches a plan to fix the problem, but little does he know that the Jasmine Spirit has a trick or two up her sleeve...

A sweet and entertaining story that sheds a welcome light onto Syria's long and proud cultural heritage in a period of history marred by war.

“A funny, magical tale whose conclusion gently suggests that there is room for us all in this world”—Guardian Witness

“You’ll get caught up in Damascus’ dense colors and patterns, as well as its light-hearted, sweet-smelling humor. A joy!”—ArabLit

“Children will be captured by the cheeky portrayal of Haroun, and those too young to read will be mesmerized by his antics on the pages”—Middle East Monitor

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781911373001
Publisher:	Lantana Publishing
Publication date:	06/01/2020
Series:	Lantana Global Picture Books Series
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	727,509
File size:	12 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	7 - 8 Years

About the Author

Nadine Kaadan is an award-winning author-illustrator from Syria. She writes stories inspired by Syria's rich cultural heritage and is committed to helping child refugees in Europe and the Middle East.

Editorial Reviews

"Kaadan presents a charming tale of a naughty kitty who learns a valuable lesson. Haroun loves living in his city of Damascus. Everyone there loves him, pets him, and feeds him treats. The problem is, everywhere Haroun goes, the smell of jasmine follows. Everyone loves the scent of blooming jasmine—except Haroun. It makes him sneeze, and he can't sleep with all that smell. So he devises a plan to quell the smell, hiding his old stinky fish and chicken bones at the base of every jasmine plant. This angers the jasmine spirit, who then punishes Haroun with a mustache made of jasmine! Now the poor kitty can't escape the smell. After the townspeople sadden because the beautiful, fragrant smell is gone from their city, Haroun removes the bones, and the curse is lifted. Kaadan illustrates this whimsical tale with bright, bold colors of pink, blue, and green, and plenty of adorable goggle eyes. Great for reading out loud, and not a bad choice for multicultural reading."—Booklist

From the Publisher

02/01/2018
PreS-Gr 2—In Damascus, Haroun the cat relishes his life sleeping in a courtyard and participating in moonlight karaoke with other cats. However, he is allergic to jasmine, the city's nickname sake. He offsets the offending odor by placing leftover bones in the decorative plants' pots. This cures his sneezes, but the green-haired Jasmine Spirit is offended and punishes him by growing multiple plants from his nose. When humans are upset by the garbage stink in the air, Haroun suffers the afternoon sun and removes the offending trash he planted. While he naps, Jasmine Spirit sees how loved the cat is by the community and is pleased by his penance, and removes the nasal vines. When he wakes, Haroun decides that jasmine isn't so bad after all and he seems to be immune—until the final page brings a large "Aachooo." The fluffy, fat cat with pop eyes is endearing, and Kaadan's droll cartoons are infused in rich colors and patterns. VERDICT An amiable folktale set in Syria and suitable for one-on-one and small group sharing.—Gay Lynn Van Vleck, Henrico County Library, Glen Allen, VA

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