Wiil Waal A Somali Folktale

                                                Wiil Waal A Somali Folktale
Lexile Level: Not Shown

            Wiil Waal written/retold by Kathleen Moriarty, illustrated by Amin Amir, is a folktale story about a Sultan and villagers. The Sultan asks the villagers to bring part of a sheep that symbolizes what can divide people and what can unite them. The poor man in the village decides to bring the Sultan the animals ribs, but the poor man’s daughter said not to bring the ribs but to bring the gullet instead. The poor man was confused because the gullet is something that you get rid of. The poor man ends up bringing the Sultan the gullet. The Sultan is shocked by what the poor man brings him, and tells the poor man that he is a wise man. However, the Sultan then realizes that the poor man did not think of this idea. The poor man brings the Sultan to his daughter. The Sultan declares the daughter the wisest man, and says that someday she will rule the land.
Is the a good story?
       This story a good book. It shows a different cultures folktale, and it shows that culture’s language on the page. With students, a teacher can discuss what a folktale is and what are some folktales that we have in our culture. This also is good book to introduce kids to different cultures.
Is the culture accurately portrayed?
         I think the characters in the story are accurately portrayed and the setting is portrayed very well. The illustrations show what Somalians look like, where they live, and what is important to them. The book also shows their language.
Is the setting authentic?
         The setting is authentic because this is a popular folktale. The illustrations demonstrate where this folktale is taking place, and what is happening in the folktale. 
Are the illustrations authentic and non stereotypical?
      The illustrations are authentic. They show the audience what the Somalian culture looks like. It shows what the houses look like and what the land looks like.
            One literally aspect of this book that is important to point out is that this book is bilingual. On one half of the page it has the English translation, and on the other half it has the Somali language of the story. Symbolism is also important to point out, because the book relies on symbolism to show the Sultan that there is a wise man. Discussing what symbolism is and what it means is an important lesson to have. Another thing that you could teach students is how to properly use quotations in a story.
            The illustrations are done by Amin Amir. Amir captures the emotions of the poor man perfectly. At one point in the story the poor man thought that slaughtering one of his sheep is a waste. Amir captures his emotions perfectly. Amir also captures the landscape and how this village looks. This helps the reader be placed in the setting.
            For a mini lesson I would have student compare and contrast our folk tales to this folktale. The students can compare and contrast using a venn diagram, a chart, or they can write a few paragraphs. 

Citation:
Moriarty, K. Amir, A (illustrator). 2007. Wiil Waal A Somali Folktale. Minnesota Humanities        Center.