The Review of The Story Yussouf

The author has divided the life of Prophet Yusuf a.s into four parts. These are addressed in the four parts of the book. Brother Arastu effectively commented on selected verses of the Glorious Quran and hadiths of the Ahlulbayt a.s. He linked these to our current era, benefitting the readers to gain ethical teachings. 

The book starts with the narration of a golden dream that Prophet Yusuf a.s had. The dream narrates that he saw eleven stars, the sun and the moon prostrating before him. This created jealousy amongst his brothers. As a result the brothers planned to kill him; however they decided to throw him in a well. They lied to their father Prophet Yakub a.s and said their brother had been attacked and eaten by a wolf.  

The book goes on to narrate how Prophet Yusuf a.s reached Egypt as a slave in the palace of the Aziz (The Minister of Egypt). Zulaykha, the wife of the Aziz was known for her richness and beauty. On seeing the Prophet she became infatuated with his beauty. As he aged, she came under the influence of her lust, but was not successful. Consequently she fabricated a story which resulted in the Prophet being imprisoned. 

Prophet Yusuf a.s was blessed with the power of accurately interpreting the dream of the king of Egypt. In shame Zulaykha confessed that she was the one who tried to seduce Prophet Yusuf a.s. His piety and wisdom influenced the King and as a result he was released from prison and was exalted to the status of Aziz (minister). 

With his wisdom and planning, Prophet Yusuf a.s protected Egypt from drought for seven years.  During this time, other areas had been severely affected by famine. People travelled from far and near to buy food from Egypt. As a result the Prophet’s brothers travelled from Canaan to buy food. The Prophet recognised them. However the brothers did not know he was in Egypt or know of the status he had. Despite the past Prophet Yusuf a.s welcomed his brothers with respect in Egypt. He devised a plan to keep his beloved brother Binyamin with him in Egypt. He asked the other brothers to bring their father  back to Egypt with them. Prophet Yakub a.s had been in sorrow since Prophet Yusuf a.s disappeared; as a result he lost his sight. In old age he travelled to Egypt with his sons, and after thirty years of grief he met Prophet Yusuf a.s. 

This book enhanced my understanding of the verses of the Holy Quran and Hadiths of the Ahlulbayt a.s. This is a fascinating and brief story of Prophet Yusuf’s a.s existence, which can be applied to improve one’s own life. Brother Arastu wrote in a simple and effective style which made this book an enjoyable and easy read. Though this book can be comprehended by all ages, it would specifically interest the young readers.  

The Character in Kelly Story

 My favourite character in this short story ‘Kelly’ by Zuraidah Omar is Kelly’s mother Sue .My Favourite character is Sue ( mother of  Kelly ), Because Sue is a loving mother because she want to make sure that's Kelly get a a right women to care of herself untill her last breath. It's like what have a Sue told previously to Sarah " Like I'm said, I'm very particular person. I've to know that you're serious about him and that you'll care of him the way I caring of him, because Kelly's very special to me ". Last word, I feel very lucky to be able to read this story and I'm promise will be a Caring wife to my Future Husband, also I'm promise will be a Caring Mother to my Future Children just same like a character of this Sue.Sue as a mother that know what his son want . She also need the best daughter in-law and the partner foe his son . I like this character because Sue as a mother she can feel what Sarah feel  

 Besides that, the favourite character is Sarah. I like this character because, brave , she such as brave girl to see Kelly mother and talk with his mother. She really patient to wait to know who is Kelly name and about Kelly information and she very caring person and lovely. Such as, she try her best to love her ex boyfriend Terence, but that boy just only like using Sarah i think so, and Sarah is not give up person. That why i like Sarah character in this short story.

The Review of The Princess Mouse

Mikko goes to find his sweetheart after his marriage tree falls and he unexpectedly find a mouse, but sees that there is more than meets the eye with this little mouse.

One thing that really interested me throughout the book is the different traditions that come up. The first and most important tradition that comes up is cutting down the tree in search of a wife. Not many children get that in some parts of the world there isn’t much a choice in who you marry, so it would be a learning segment. Another tradition that comes up is that the future bride must weave cloth that the father approves of. Most people do something similar and find ways to impress the future in-laws, so this one might not be such a shock, but it is still a tradition that would be work pointing out and talking about.

The Review Frog Prince

  My initial response to the Grimms’ The Frog Prince is that it clearly follows the mythos, or master plot, that structures many fairy tales. For instance, the Prince was victimized by a “wicked witch” and altered into a frog. The Prince’s loyal servant was so distraught by the alteration that his heart had to be protected with iron belts—this information not only promotes a message of loyalty but also offers evidence to reinforce the wickedness of the witch. Her act was so ghastly it had dire repercussions beyond the Prince. The Prince, now a frog, spent his time in the woods, assumingly encountering adventures until the King’s daughter comes along to offer a resolution. The King also contents to the Prince marrying his daughter, which consequently results in the familiar fairy tale ending of a restructured family. In contrast, The Frog Prince is different from other fairy tales because the King had to order his daughter to hold true to her word and free the Prince from his altered state. The Grimms’ must have had some purpose or alternative function in mind when writing the story in this way.

  To better understand this, I asked myself, how would the story have been different if the King did not influence his daughter? What if we deleted the lines: “that which thou hast promised must thou perform,” “so go now and let him in,” and “That which thou hast promised in thy time of necessity, must thou perform.”  I have a sneaky suspicion that the daughter would have left the Prince (the frog) sitting on the doorstep and she would have been punished in some monstrous way for her deception. The King’s influence was critical in the movement of the plot and ultimately led to the resolution being possible.Knowing the Grimms’ lost their father early in life , it could be they sought to make the King (a father) a hero. Especially due to the fact of the daughter being the youngest. In fairy tales, the youngest is typically disadvantaged and despite her grand beauty, she lacked understanding and wisdom and her struggle with this ethical dilemma might not have been overcome without intervention from the father. She needed a hero and the King served that function. It could also be that the King serves as a divine force or hero for the Prince, in addition to his influence over his daughter. The Prince overcomes his frog state because of the daughter learning about integrity and setting aside her own discomfort to repay a good deed. 

 The King’s influence corresponds to the influence the Cat held in Perrault’s The Master Cat, or Puss in Boots. The youngest son would not have been able to overcome his misfortune without the cleverness of the Cat to manipulate others and help the youngest son achieve a higher status in society. However, there is an obvious difference here. In The Frog Prince, the King was intervening to prevent deception and in The Master Cat, the Cat was intervening to assert deception. The Brothers Grimm seem to be more meticulous in ensuring that their tales taught values, while Perrault’s emphasis might have been more directed on the art of storytelling. However, I do prefer the Grimms’ stories and the language is very much a cause of that. 

The Review The Story Mouse Deer and The Tiger

Mouse Deer is a trickster tale from Southeast Asia, I thought this book was very good, it teaches kids wit and power. This book teaches kids not to be afraid, Mouse Deer is the smallest animal in the forest but he is not scared of the biggest animals or any other animal, instead he sings a song while he wanders through the forest and tricks all of his enemies. It teaches kids that they need to be confident and not be scared of other people who may be bigger than them. I would do this as a read aloud while the kids are learning about animals and bravery or about books in Asia or other cultures and it would be good for kids from kindergarten to third grade.

The vocabulary is not challenging and there are pictures throughout the book. Mouse Deer is a brave and quick witted character who outsmarts everyone else in the stories. The storyline would be very intriguing for younger children and keep them engaged throughout the entirety of the folktale.