Many brave people have spoken out against the struggles in Darfur. Governments are working to end the war. But the atrocities continue. Children and their families still suffer.
The Red Pencil is written to honor them.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
It is with great thanks that I extend gratitude to many who opened their homes, schools, and memories to help make this book’s story authentic.
Thanks to Dr. Ali B. Ali-Dinar, associate director of the University of Pennsylvania African Studies Center, for his valuable remarks on the manuscript.
Heartfelt thanks to Abdalmageed S. Haroun, founder and executive director of the Human Rights and Advocacy Network for Democracy (HAND), whose personal journey from Darfur to the United States illuminates the passages found in this book.
Abdalmageed S. Haroun and Andrea Davis Pinkney celebrate the power of red pencils.
I extend gratitude to Nisrin Elamin, whose work with Global Kids, the National Youth Leadership Council, and Girfina, a Sudanese nonviolent resistance movement—and her tireless efforts on behalf of young people and displaced individuals living in Sudan’s refugee camps—served as inspiration for Amira’s story.
Appreciation goes to Carol Sakoian, vice president, Scholastic International, and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, for her in-depth understanding of Africa’s literacy development and school systems. I am grateful to workers from the United Nations Development Programme—Bruno Lemarquis for putting me in touch with those who are on the front lines striving to improve conditions in Darfur and Sudan, and Asmaa Shalabi, program specialist in the United Nations Development Programme Bureau of Crisis Prevention and Recovery, for her insights and knowledge about displaced families. Thank you, Jennifer Vilaga, for your extensive research help and fact-checking.
Special thanks to Mark Doty and Courtney Nuzum Jiménez, middle school codirectors at the Mary McDowell Friends School, and teachers Beverly Wind and Erica Fry for sharing their current-events curriculum about Darfur and Sudan and for offering helpful suggestions and guidance on ways to present this information to young readers.
Thank you, editors Liza Baker, Alvina Ling, and Allison Moore, whose wise editorial guidance helped shape this book’s narrative. Thank you, Rebecca Sherman, my agent and guide. Artist and visionary Shane Evans, your drawings have brought this story to incredible visual life. Liz Casal, your design brilliance has beautifully shaped the novel’s presentation.
And finally, to Brian, thank you for loving me.
Praise for
THE RED PENCIL
“This stunning collaboration between Coretta Scott King Award winners [Andrea Davis] Pinkney and [Shane W.] Evans tells a moving story of the scarring effects of war but also brings a message of hope and inspiration.… Amira’s thoughts and drawings are vividly brought to life through Pinkney’s lyrical verse and Evans’s lucid line illustrations, which infuse the narrative with emotional intensity.… An essential purchase.”
—School Library Journal (starred review)
“The perfect marriage of lyrical text and evocative drawings, The Red Pencil demonstrates the transformative power of artistic expression—even in the worst of times. Haunting, eye-opening, and deeply inspiring.”
—PATRICIA McCORMICK,
National Book Award finalist for Never Fall Down and Sold
“The very skilled Andrea Davis Pinkney, with the wondrous help of the art of Shane Evans, transcends.… [Amira] shares with the reader her love and wonder at life. This book whispers into the reader’s heart.”
—KAREN HESSE,
Newbery Medal–winning author of Out of the Dust
CHARACTER/LOCATION PRONUNCIATIONS
Amira (ah-MEER-ah)
Dando (DAHN-doh)
Darfur (dar-FUR)
Farha (far-haah)
Gamal (gah-MAHL)
Halima (hah-lee-mah)
Janjaweed (jan-jah-weed) Also referred to as Janjawid.
Kalma (kel-mah)
Khartoum (kar-toom)
Leila (lay-lah)
Miss Sabine (sib-EEN)
Muma (MOO-mah)
Nali (NAH-lee)
Nyala (nie-AH-lah)
Old Anwar (AHN-ware)
Salma (sahl-mah)
IMPORTANT TERMS THAT APPEAR IN THIS BOOK
armed—carrying a weapon.
civil war—a conflict in which one group of people in a country opposes another.
displaced—forced to leave home or a homeland.
displaced people’s camps—places where people go to find safety in the midst of war after fleeing their homes; also referred to as relocation camps and refugee camps.
genocide—the killing of a large group of people, often from a particular race or culture.
militia—a group of regular citizens who are not soldiers, but who have been enlisted to help the army fight.
nomads—people who don’t have a home base who wander in search of food, water, and shelter.
persecution—the harassment or punishment of people because of their beliefs.
rebellion—the act of going against authority, often in a violent way.
renegade—a person who deserts the beliefs of his or her religion or government, sometimes in an illegal way.
GLOSSARY/PRONUNCIATION GUIDE
There are many tribal languages spoken throughout Sudan and in Darfur. Arabic is the most common and widely used language. These are some of the traditional Arabic words that appear in this book, along with their definitions and phonetic pronunciations.
aakh (ahk)—ouch.
Allah (ah-LAH)—the Arabic word used for God primarily by people who practice Islam.
goz (gahz)—the sandy soil that covers the hills and plains of Darfur.
haboob (hah-BOHB)—a violent dust storm, which occurs in Sudan. The storm produces a wall of sand and clay that can temporarily reduce visibility.
jallabiya (jah-LAH-bee-yah)—a long robe-like garment worn by men and boys. Also referred to as jalabiya, jalabbiya, or galabiyya.
Koran (kor-AHN)—the religious text of Islam. Muslims believe the Koran is the word of God. Some regard the Koran as the most sacred literature in the Arabic language.
Sayidda (sie-ee-dah)—Lady.
shukran (shoo-krahn)—an expression of gratitude. “Thank you.”
tarha (tar-HAH)—a rectangular piece of cloth worn by a girl as a head scarf; also worn by an older woman under the toob.
toob (tohb)—a sari-like long piece of fabric worn by a Sudanese woman as an outer garment to wrap her whole body. Also referred to as tobe or tawb.
ya (yah)—an affirmation, equivalent to “yeah.” This term is not proper Arabic. It is a colloquialism.
Contents
COVER
TITLE PAGE
WELCOME
DEDICATION
MAP
PART 1: OUR FARM WHEAT
DANDO’S DELIGHT
LOST TOOTH
DIZZY DONKEY
OPPORTUNITY
SCHOOL
PINCHED
THE WAGER
FRUITLESS
CONTEST
WAR
AS I SEE IT
CHORES
BIRTH STORY
HEARTBEAT
OKRA
TWIG
DITTY
WAKING THE MOON
GLOWING SAYIDDA
LEILA
OUR BENT BABY
DOUBLE JOY
GAMAL
GOAL
TRADITION HUT
CHASING THE WIND
GOZ
DRAWING
HAND, TWIG, SPARROW
THE JANJAWEED
FRIGHT
POSSIBILITIES
LINES
AGREEING
SEEING THE SAME SUN
BROKEN-BOTTLE DOLLY
TOY BATTLES
EYES
DOTS
WAKING, WALKING, WATER
FAMILY PICTURES
ETERNITY
MELON BELLY
THE HABOOB
DEMON!
WORRY
DUST WALL
BLEAT—RELIEF!
AFTERWARD
DANDO’S CONFESSION
LIZARD
APOLOGY
NALI’S GIFT
FLITTER
SAND SHEEP
PEEK-AND-PRANCE
DAWN
SUDDEN GUST
HAMMERING
HAPPENING?
SHOCK
TOGETHER
CALLING
NOWHERE
FLEEING
ASHES
SOLES
FORWARD
FOOTPRINTS
HUNGRY
STUBBORN
NO MOON
CURSED
MISERY
QUEASY
DAZED
QUICK-STREAM
DISPLACED
PART 2: KALMA SCRAPS
DISBELIEF
VANISHING
MOURNING
RUBBER TWIGS
SILENCE
CROWDED KALMA
ECHO
LOCKED
THE WATER GIVER
THE FLICKER BOX
STUCK
FLOWERS
BLOWING SMOKE
NONSTOP
MOON-TIME TERRORS
UNWELCOME
GAMAL’S GRIEF
TANTRUM
MISS SABINE
WANT
KNOWING
THE RED PENCIL
PARTING GLANCE
STRAIGHT AND SHINY
BLOCKED
OLD ANWAR’S LAMENT
WIFE
INSIDE THE FLICKER BOX
STIRRING A POT
NEEDLE NOSES
SESAME OIL
QUESTIONS
NEW NEIGHBOR
WITHERING
SAD-QUIET
FENCES
NO BLUE BOUNDARIES
AWAKENED
DRENCHED
LISTENING
FREEING MUMA
RELEASE
HEALING
COULD IT BE?
ROAR!
ERASE
SWEET INVITATION
TO…
MY A
MATHEMATICS
FUNNY BUGS
FAVORITE
POPULATION
BUTTERFLIES
CNN
SURPRISE
BUSHY BUNDLE
THE FUTURE
MINE
BRUSHING DUST
HANDLEBAR HAPPY!
RED-EYED ROBBER
NEW FAMILY PICTURES
LOVE
GUZZLING
FANTA FLUTE
HALIMA, PROFILE
I WISH
LEAP
ANTHILL
ENVY
TUG-OF-WAR
OPINIONS
MUMA BLOOMING
TALKING TO SAYIDDA MOON
POSSIBILITIES
DIRECTIONS
SUDANESE FLOWERS, REBORN
BURSTING
I AM
UP, UP, ME
THIRST RETURNS
FLY OR DIE
NIGHTMARE
DUMB DONKEY
LOOMING
CNN DAYDREAM
PROMISES
SISTER-TO-SISTER
GOOD-BYE GIFTS
NOW
ITCHY DOUBT
DANDO BRIGHT!
PRAY, WAIT
HEDGEHOG ESCAPE
QUICKENED
THE TRUTH
WE
FLIGHT
AUTHOR’S NOTE
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
PRAISE FOR THE RED PENCIL
CHARACTER/LOCATION PRONUNCIATIONS
IMPORTANT TERMS THAT APPEAR IN THIS BOOK
GLOSSARY/PRONUNCIATION GUIDE
COPYRIGHT
Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Text copyright © 2014 by Andrea Davis Pinkney
Illustrations copyright © 2014 by Shane W. Evans
Cover art © 2014 by Shane W. Evans
Cover design by Liz Casal
Cover © 2014 Hachette Book Group, Inc.
All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher is unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at permissions@hbgusa.com. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.
Little, Brown and Company
Hachette Book Group
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The publisher is not responsible for websites (or their content) that are not owned by the publisher.
First ebook edition: September 2014
ISBN 978-0-316-24781-8
E3