Four Feet Two Sandals
Name of Book: Four Feet, Two Sandals
Author: Karen Lynn Williams & Khadra Mohammed
Illustrator: Doug Chayka
Publisher: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 978-0-8028-5296-0
Audience: 4 – 8 years old
Summary: Two girls meet in a refugee camp in Pakistan along the border of Afghanistan when they both grab one sandal of a pair which is being handed out to them by aid workers. They become friends through the sharing of this one pair of sandals and are able to share their experiences and dreams for the future together until the day when Lina and her family are called to relocate to the United States.
Literary elements at work in the story
Genre: Realistic fiction
Setting: A refugee camp in Peshawar, a city on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.
Characterization: Two young girls
Plot: The arrival of sandals by aid workers leads to friendship and caring for one another.
Theme: Even in the worst conditions there is hope for the future.
Point of View: War and persecution from the vantage point of a child.
Style: Realistic fictional story.
Perspective on:
Gender: The main characters are Muslim girls who are portrayed favorably but there is a hint of inequality in educating girls and boys.
Race: Race is portrayed favorably and accurately.
Culture: The illustrations depict a culture very different from that of most readers. Life in a refugee camp and homelessness; where there is little hope. The story also depicts elements of the Afghanistan culture such as the dress of the girls, a mention of Ramadan, and a typical greeting that one might use.
Theology: People no matter where they are from or what they believe are created in the image of God and are the same as you and me.
Faith Talk Questions:
1. Why do you think Lina shared with Feroza?
2. Thinking about your friendships, are Lina and Feroza really any different from you and your friends?
3. Do you have a special reminder of a friend who has moved away? Share how you remember them.
4. How can you help someone new in your school, church or neighborhood feel welcome?
Review prepared by Union Presbyterian Seminary student Jill Kimbirl
Four Feet Two Sandals by Storypath is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
