Our Read Around the World Book Club for 3rd - 5th graders learned a lot about the beautiful country of Oman and read The Turtle of Oman by Naomi Shihab Nye.
3. FLAG OF SULTANATE OF
OMAN
Curved dagger is called a
khanjar, a traditional
weapon and symbol of the
sultanate of Oman
4. SULTAN QABOOS BIN
SAID
Was the Sultan of Oman from July 1970 to
January 2020, almost 50 years! Now the
country is mourning the first anniversary
of his death. He had no children, and was
succeeded by his cousin Haitham.
5. SINBAD THE SAILOR
Mythical hero who
journeyed far and fought
with monsters and giants.
Some people think he was
from Oman.
17. RAS AL HADD BEACH
The “turtle beach” that
Aref and Sidi visit, where
thousands of turtles nest
every year.
18. Dishdasha – long
white robe that
goes down to the
ankles
OMANI MEN’S DRESS
Massar –
woolen
cloth
wrapped
around
head
Kumma –
embroider
ed
brimless
cap
What Sidi wears
19. OMANI MEN’S DRESS
Tarbusha – dress-up
tassel like what Aref’s
grandpa gives to him.
Worn for special
occasions and dipped
in cologne.
27. WHY DO YOU THINK THE BOOK IS
CALLED “THE TURTLE OF OMAN”? IT’S
NOT ABOUT A TURTLE…
28. SEA TURTLE MIGRATIONS
Sea turtles don’t stay in one
place; they travel all over the
world, going where the food is.
But when it comes time to have
their young, most of them go
back to the beaches of Oman!
Five of the world’s seven species
of sea turtles lay their eggs in
Oman’s beaches.
One green sea turtle (an
endangered species) which was
tagged and numbered, recently
came back to Oman after 23 years
of traveling all over the world!
29. WERE CANDLES REALLY PLACED
ON THE BACKS OF TURTLES FOR
OUTDOOR LIGHTING?I’ve looked into this, and as far as
I can tell, there’s no evidence of
that… Even without electricity,
regular oil lamps probably served
people just fine.
But medieval Persia and Arabia
had an underworld of burglars
and thieves called Banu Sasan,
who used tortoises with candles
on their backs to help them light
the rooms of the homes they were
plundering! Whenever they went
breaking into people’s houses,
they took a tortoise with them!
https://www.smithsonianmag.co
m/history/islams-medieval-
30. REGIONAL PRIDE Aref has a deep love for
his country of Oman and
his city, Muscat.
What do you like about
America? About
California and Pasadena?
If you’re not from
Pasadena, what do you
like about your city?
If you were Aref’s pen
pal, how would you
describe Southern
California or your town?
31. COUNTRIES AND CITIES ARE
ALWAYS CHANGING
How has Oman
changed since
Aref’s grandfather
was a boy?
How has your
country,
neighborhood or
community
32. VERY SPECIAL PEOPLE
Aref is really close to his
grandfather, Sidi. Is there
a relative that you are
especially close to, that
you would enjoy going
camping or on a trip with?
33. MISH-MISH MEANS “APRICOT”
How does Aref feel about
having to leave behind his cat
Mish-Mish with his cousins? If
you have a pet, how would
you feel about having to leave
them with someone else for
three years? Would you be
afraid for them? Who could
you trust to take care of them?
34. NOT A HAPPINESS MACHINE
Aref’s mom is excited to go to
America, but Aref is not. He
says he’s in a very difficult
position. He tells his mom
he’s “not a happiness
machine, by the way.”
Do you ever feel like you’re
not allowed to show any
emotions other than “happy”?
His mom seems to think he
can just “choose” to feel
excited. What do you think?
35. WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO
AREF?
Like Aref, you have doubtless
had to deal with things that were
beyond your control this year. We
cannot always change our
situation. But sometimes, we are
the ones who change and grow
stronger because of it!
What would you tell Aref about
how to approach his difficult
situation, a situation that is
completely beyond his control?
36. NEXT STOP: PARIS
Friday, March 12, 2021 at 3 pm:
France
Rooftopperswritten by Katherine
Rundell
Authorities threaten to take twelve-year-old Sophie
from Charles, who has been her guardian since the
shipwreck they both survived when Sophie was a baby. So
the pair goes to Paris to try to find Sophie's mother, and
they are aided by Matteo and his band of "rooftoppers."
Rooftoppers audiobook on hoopla (unlimited copies):
https://www.hoopladigital.com/title/11639730
Rooftoppers print copies:
https://pasadena.iii.com/iii/encore/record/C__Rb150777
0
Rooftoppers audiobook on CD:
https://pasadena.iii.com/iii/encore/record/C__Rb152859
7
Rooftoppers eBook on Overdrive: https://pas-
gdl.overdrive.com/media/1416769
Rooftoppers audiobook on Overdrive: https://pas-
37. THANK YOU FOR COMING!
MAKE SURE TO REQUEST
ROOFTOPPERS!
