The Turtle of Oman

Was given as a gift and is loved by my grandson, who is 8 years old.

The grandfather Sidi was so fun and delightful. I loved his interactions with the main character. The book makes Oman sound like a lovely place. I hope I can go visit someday.

This lovely, kind story is a meditation on the challenge inherent in transitions for some people. While the protagonist, Aref, knows he will be back in three years, he struggles to pack. It is also a love letter to the positive bonds between a grandparent and grandchild, and subtly to the wisdom of a mother.That said, if you are leaving indefinitely or permanently, it may be awfully unkind to read it to your children or offer it to them to read. There is a lot of visiting loved placed and doing memorable things with a loved one who is not coming and talking about how they will do them again in three years.So glad I previewed this novel. It will be years before I offer it to my own children.

My kids enjoyed this story and learning about Oman, a different place. They enjoyed the portrayal of Sidi (the grandfather),his personality and his interactions with Aref. The novel is written with beautiful prose, which is not surprising because the author is a poet. I would recommend it for elementary or middle school aged kids.

We chose this book because it talks about immigration from a young boy's POV. My son enjoyed the book. I appreciated that it deals realistically with a child's feelings about moving away. There's no language, sex, or violence in the book, which is a plus. There's one scene in which adults smoke. All in all, my son said he'd give it 4.5 out of 5 stars. He said "it moves kind of slow" which is the only reason he didn't rate it a 5. He tends to like action type books. ;)

A beautiful tour of Oman with Aref and his grandpa! When I reached the end with activities and discussion questions, I was compelled to re-read it, looking up each place in Oman as Aref visited it. Now I want to visit Oman! This book is both deep and light, pensive and happy. I often give this book as a gift.

Purchased for my 10 year old Daughter Battle of the books - 4th grade. It was not one of the kids favorite books.

Nice little story from a great poet/author about a boy from a culture not always understood in the States. Since I grew up in Ann Arbor, I wish the story would have described his new home.