Genre 2, Traditional Literature: The Gifts of Wali Dad

Bibliographic Information
Shepard, Aaron (retold). 1995. Ill. by Daniel San Souci. New York, NY: Atheneum Books for Young Readers. An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing. ISBN 0684194457

Plot and Critical Analysis
In this Indian and Pakistani tale, a simple grass cutter gives one gift that leads to a triangle of gift giving. Its resolution showing each characters different versions of happiness. For Wali Dad, he saved his money for a lifetime and with the extra bought a gift to be presented to the Queen of Khaistan, whom a merchant informed him was the most noble of ladies. She is grateful and returns a present, but the simple grass cutter does not know how to process gifts from queens and has the merchant take it to the most noble man the merchant knows: the King of Nekabad. With this developing cycle, the kind wishes to return the kindess with an even better gift, one that Wali Dad sends onto the queen. As this transference of gifts continues Wali Dad grows more and more ashamed thinking both royal houses are making his life more difficult and how will he explain his role. As both queen and king come to meet their gift giver, or who they think is their gift giver, Wali Dad's troubles are solved when he is visited by two "peris from Paradise" - visions. They turn his hut into a castle and he greets his visitors with pride. Upon greeting, the king and queen fall in love and leave Wali Dad behind never knowing of his involvement, but that their gift giver is their love. The legend ends with all characters finding their own happiness be it a simple life in a grass hut or true love.

While the setting is established as different villages in the Middle East it never mentions the length of travel for this merchant turned delivery man. Time elapses quickly between visits (and pages), yet the plot is always centered around Wali Dad. This allows the reader to understand Wali Dad's shock when he is given gifts of silk and horses (appropriate for the riches of that part of the world) as he was only focused on giving simple gift to a noble lady.

San Souci's illustration at times are divided with multiple images on one page which assists the plot and allows the reader to follow along even before any words are read aloud. When gifts are on a page, they are the focus of each illustration, becoming more grand and detailed as they progress. The images clearly show the distinctions between a grass cutter and royalty, but are stylistically cohesive. One would imagine the significance of two countries coming together important, but perhaps the message of Wali Dad is more significant in showing the reader how to find happiness in the simplest of life's pleasures, such as cutting grass or finding honest work.

Reviews

Kirkus Reviews
A comic folktale with a plot of crystalline symmetry. Wali Dad is a poor grass-cutter who discovers that he has saved more money than he needs. He gets rid of it by buying a bracelet to send to a princess, but she sends him a bigger gift in return. The distraught Wall Dad sends her gift on to a prince, but the prince responds with an even larger present of his own. Anguished, Wall Dad now sends this gift to the princess, and the escalation of gift-giving continues until the prince and the princess decide to meet the generous old man. When they show up at his house, they see each other and instantly fall in love. This happy story by Shepard (The Enchanted Storks, p. 394) has no evil characters and an irresistible hero, pictured by San Souci as a skinny old man with kind eyes and a big nose. The skillfully constructed watercolors are sometimes laid out in storyboard-fashion: The page is broken up into several frames, with different shots of the same scene. A fun, well-crafted book, with nothing out of place. (Kirkus Reviews, April 15, 1995)

School Library Journal
Grade 2-5?A superior retelling of the "Story of Wali Dad the Simple-hearted," one of the best-loved tales in Andrew Lang's Brown Fairy Book (1965; o.p.) (and later in Lang's Olive Fairy Book [1968; o.p., both Dover]). Shepard has condensed the story, stressing its comic elements, and?with San Souci?has brought it to life for new audiences. Wali Dad is content to be a simple grass-cutter. When his frugal habits result in a lot of money?more than he can ever use?he buys a gold bracelet and asks a merchant to give it to the noblest woman in the world: the queen of Khaistan. She sends Wali Dad a gift in return. So he asks the merchant to take her gift to the noblest man in the world: the king of Nekabad. The king then sends a reciprocal gift, which Wali Dad passes on to the queen. The exchanges continue, the presents growing more and more extravagant, until Wali Dad, with the aid of two peris (benevolent beings akin to fairies), brings the young queen and king together. They marry, and Wali Dad happily returns to his simple life. San Souci's full- and double-page watercolor illustrations depict a comic, expressive Wali Dad with an oversized head dominated by a huge nose. Full of interesting details, the pictures support and enlarge upon the text. A worthy addition.?Marilyn Taniguchi, Santa Monica Public Library, CA
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Connections

Beginning with a simple gift, massive exaggerations ensue. This helps show children how one action leads to another, in the case of the queen and king trying to outdo each other in lavish gifts. Wali Dad, like many characters is this genre, is a simple man who ends up with a very unusual outcome. This story exhibits the lifestyle, gifts, dress, and values in the culture which could offer children a look into a different world. San Souci's illustrations, more realistic than exaggerated other than Wali Dad's facial expressions, exhibit the similarities and differences a reader could identify comparing this village to their own city. The character of Wali Dad is one that was simply trying to gift a gift and just wants get back to his simple life and the reader will find a full circle to the story with Wali Dad ending right where he began.

Similar Readings:
The Old Woman and the Eagle (Idries Shah): Another tale from the Middle East of thinking for oneself and not allowing other people to label you.

In the Moodlight Mist: A Korean Tale (Daniel San Souci): To address diversity among folktales, this can provide both an inside look into another culture as well as exhibit the diversity of San Souci who is both an author and an illustrator.