What do you think?
Rate this book
A Map and a Mule: A Peace Story of Queen Isabel of Portugal
Two episodes from the life of Queen Isabel of Portugal, a peacemaker of the late 1200s and early 1300s. For preschool through third grade. Illustrations include portraits of Isabel (also known as Elizabeth, and Elizabeth of Aragon), a detail of a contemporary painting of knights, a detail of a vintage map, and more.
30 pages, Paperback
First published December 4, 2012
142 people want to read
About the author
Eric Timar
7Ìýbooks5ÌýfollowersLived abroad in Central America for six years -- three in Nicaragua, three in Honduras. Collects peace stories for children. Born on Saki's birthday, not far from Winesburg Ohio.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 6, 2013
If two countries are planning to fight each other over a piece of disputed territory, what can be done to stop them? Queen Isabel of Portugal lived from 1271 to 1336. Her husband was King Dennis. There was a town called Serpa which was between Portugal and its neighbor Spain. Each country claimed it. This was during the days of knights, so the knights of Spain got ready to fight the knights of Portugal. What did Queen Isabel do to help solve the problem? And later, what did she do to keep two sons of King Dennis who were arguing over which one would get to rule which parts of Portugal from going to battle with each other?
Author Eric Timar, who also wrote Seven Lambs: Stories of Peace from the Old Testament, gives us two fascinating episodes from the life of Queen Isabel of Portugal, a peacemaker of the Middle Ages. Of course, everyone can benefit from the interesting historical information related in the book. Not many people would know of Isabel’s involvement in the Treaty of Alcanices of 1297 which established the boundary between Spain and Portugal. And kids who like to read about knights and all things medieval will enjoy the stories. Illustrations from various sources include the cover watercolor, portraits of Isabel, a period painting of knights, and the detail of a vintage map. But most important is the idea of seeking peaceful solutions to disagreements. A Map and a Mule is a great little book with a great big message.
Author Eric Timar, who also wrote Seven Lambs: Stories of Peace from the Old Testament, gives us two fascinating episodes from the life of Queen Isabel of Portugal, a peacemaker of the Middle Ages. Of course, everyone can benefit from the interesting historical information related in the book. Not many people would know of Isabel’s involvement in the Treaty of Alcanices of 1297 which established the boundary between Spain and Portugal. And kids who like to read about knights and all things medieval will enjoy the stories. Illustrations from various sources include the cover watercolor, portraits of Isabel, a period painting of knights, and the detail of a vintage map. But most important is the idea of seeking peaceful solutions to disagreements. A Map and a Mule is a great little book with a great big message.
April 3, 2013
I love the premise behind this book because I think it's far less often than it should be that our children's books tell stories of peace and non-violence rather than the opposite of these. Because of this, I had high hopes for the book. Similarly, the cover is beautifully designed and caused high expectations for the illustrations of the book also. Unfortunately, I was disappointed on both fronts. The two stories are great stories, but they're not very involved or deep. Just because its a children's book doesn't mean we need to take all the details and depths of our stories in order for them to understand. In addition, while the pictures in the book were historically accurate artwork and representations, that I greatly appreciated, the pages were also largely blank and I'm not sure that they would keep kids intrigued long enough to read through the story. I found myself wanting more and I feel that a kid would as well, because what is there to grasp onto and wrestle with if all the depth has been removed from the story? Overall, I greatly applaud the efforts here but I would love to see more in a peaceful series of other historical figures who have engaged in peaceful resolutions and I would also love to have an evolution to a more finely tuned children's book take place.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get help and learn more about the design.