Yasmin's Hammer

Notable Children's Book, Smithsonian

A young Bangladeshi girl who helps support her family by working in a brickyard finds a way to make her dream of going to school and learning to read a reality.

In the noisy streets of Dhaka, Bangladesh, another busy morning is beginning as Yasmin rides to work in her father's rattling rickshaw. Yasmin longs to go to school so she can learn to read, but her family needs the money she and her sister earn at the brickyard to help keep the rice bag full and the roof repaired.

As she hammers away at bricks day after day, Yasmin dreams of a different life. If she could read, she could be anything she wants to be when she grows up. One night Yasmin has an idea--a secret plan that will bring her one step closer to making her dream a reality.

Compassionately told and inspired by contemporary news articles, Yasmin's Hammer offers a fresh perspective on the value of education. Readers will admire Yasmin's persistence in reaching for her goals and the enduring love of her hardworking family in this hopeful story of a bright young girl whose mind is set on changing her future.

Ann Malaspina is the author of more than fifteen nonfiction books for young people. Her interest in equal rights and social change often leads her to write about people struggling on the margins of society to improve their quality of life. She was inspired to write Yasmin's Hammer after traveling in South Asia and reading news reports about young workers in Bangladesh. Malaspina lives with her family in northern New Jersey. Her Web site is annmalaspina.com.

Doug Chayka has illustrated several picture books, including Four Feet, Two Sandals, chosen as a Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People and a Notable Book for a Global Society. Chayka has taught illustration at Pratt Institute and currently teaches at Ringling College of Art. His work has also been displayed in the Society of Illustrators Best of Children's Book Art exhibit. Chayka and his wife live in Sarasota, Florida. His Web site is dougchayka.com.