What's the Matter, Habibi?

by Betsy Lewin

Habibi (Arabic for "my darling") is a camel who usually seems to enjoy his work, giving rides to children. But one day Habibi lies down and absolutely will not get up. "What's the matter?" asks Ahmed, Habibi's owner. Could it be a toothache? A tummy-ache? Habibi isn't telling, but a trip to the Bazaar solves the problem and leaves both Ahmed and Habibi happy. Inspired by a real-life camel and driver Betsy Lewin met in Egypt, this frolicsome new picture book will delight any child.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, Humor, Cultural

32 pages, Paperback

First published August 18, 1997

Reviews

[June · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came across this while doing a quick and dirty weeding and thought it might be worth keeping so checked it out for my hat program. One girl requested it for a story time program and another boy requested it also (his class was late, so I did a quick reread for him and a classmate while the teachers got everyone else ready. He desperately wanted to check it out, but the teachers had forgotten their cards. 3/19/14

Used again in my story time. Cute story of a depressed camel who wants a fez. 3/10/15

Adds some diversity to my hat story time and the children seem to like camels.

[Fay · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really cute book that I saw in a used bookstore. I love books that cross cultures so to speak and I bought this book for my nephew at the time. I think it's very important for kids growing up in one parent's culture to be exposed to the other parent's culture as much as possible and even in the simplest of ways like with this short story. It breaks apart the feeling of "foreignness" some kids feel. I liked the book a lot and so did my nephew.

[Kirin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This short silly 32 page AR 2.7 book by the illustrator of the famous Click, Clack, Moo books tells a tale of an unhappy camel in Egypt and his caring owner Ahmed’s attempt to understand what is wrong. There is nothing religious in the book, save a few visible hijab wearing women (#muslimsintheillustrations ) in the bazaar illustrations, and the main human character’s name. The cultural backdrop though, does introduce and encourage familiarity for young readers who may not have exposure to Arabic words and people. The author is clearly not Arab, but the book thanks the Cairo NESA delegates for their help in developing the story. Before reading it I was nervous that because the presentation would be coming from an outside perspective, that the messaging would be condescending and/or stereotypical. I think I was perhaps giving the book way too much thought, because ultimately the story isn’t that deep. The illustrations and tone are warm and focus on a camel wanting a fez and the efforts it takes for Habibi to acquire one and for Ahmed to track him down. It is surface level silliness for younger kids, the camel and owner are kind to each other and the setting just ties it all together. I am not Arab, and could definitely argue that the camel and his silly owner do perpetuate stereotypes, so feel free to offer up your thoughts if you have read the book. Irregardless of where you side, the fact that I’m sure had I read this book in 1997 when it was published, I would have been gushing to see the name Ahmed in a widely available book, but here we are nearly 25 years later and I’m questioning if these are stories that are better left to be told by OWN voice perspectives.

[Sandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

A story about a man and his camel. My child thought it was silly and not particularly interesting.

[Marilyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A camel with a fez and an understanding owner.

[Patricia · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a silly story of a camel in Cairo, and his owner, Ahmed, who wants to know why the camel suddenly is unwilling to give rides to children. As Emma put it, "Slippers for hat. Hat makes camel happy." Maybe younger children would like it.

The watercolor illustrations are the best part of this picture book.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a strange, but entertaining story about a man and his camel. The watercolor illustrations are a bit fuzzy for my taste, but still humorous. And the narrative is short and describes a bit about Egyptian culture, especially at the bazaar. We enjoyed reading this story together.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quirky and fun. I loved how Ahmed still loved Habibi and didn't became irate at Habibi's shenanigans. The ending lends well to a child who reads this story appreciating Ahmed's struggle and exhaustion (and perhaps being more mindful of the sacrifices their own parents make for them.)

[Bonnie Pohlig · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun story and nice pictures, but the conflict resolution was sort of disappointing and silly.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's just something I love about this sweet book.