Joha Makes a Wish

Bibliography

Kimmel, Eric A. 2010. Joha Makes a Wish: A Middle Eastern Tale. Ill. by Omar Rayyan. Tarrytown, NY: Marshall Cavendish Children. ISBN 978-0-7614-5599-8.

Plot Summary

When Joha stopd to rest while on a long walk to Baghdad, he falls through a wall and discovers a hidden jar. Inside the jar is a wishing wand. Joha excitedly wishes for new shoes, but instead his worn out shoes disappear, and he is left with nothing. In anger he wishes for the stick to disappear. Instead the stick becomes stuck to his hand. When the Sultan’s guards ride past him, he wishes that he had a donkey to ride. The guards overhear him and decide to pick on him by forcing him to carry the donkey on his back. In the city, the guards become angry when he doesn’t wish the Sultan a long life. He explains why he feared to make the Sultan a wish. After discovering that Joha has a wishing stick, the Sultan orders him to wish away a wart from his nose. Instead of disappearing, the wart begins growing and dividing. The guards begin chasing Joha and he finds refuge with an old man. After the coast is clear, Joha explains his situation to the old man. The old man explains that he has been holding the stick upside down so his wishes have been granted backwards. Joha turns the stick and is able to correct his wishes. He returns to the Sultan and wishes his wart away. The Sultan confiscates the wishing stick for himself and gives Joha a donkey. Joha rides away wondering if the Sultan will know which way to hold the wishing stick. On the last page, we see the Sultan poor and desolate and discover that he never did learn how to hold the stick.

Critical Analysis

The book begins with a note from the author that explains the history and origins of Joha tales.
A variation of the main character, Joha, often appears in stories from turkey, Iran, and central Asia. Joha is a simple man. This is obvious when he makes a practical wish for shoes rather than be greedy. In Western literature, he is known as Sancho Panza, Don Quixote’s companion. I remember reading stories about Sancho Panza in Spanish class in middle school. I always found his silly ways to be humorous and entertaining. 

The illustrator used detailed watercolors to tell this story through pictures. The facial expressions on the characters show their emotions and feelings. You can see the annoyance on Joha’s face when the Sultan takes the wishing stick. My favorite page is when the stick becomes stuck to Joha’s hand and you see multiple pictures of him trying to remove the stick. I think the earth tone color palette works perfectly with the Middle Eastern setting. In the Sultan’s palace, the incorporation of richer tones of purple, gold and red are fitting of royalty. 

The story has a theme of good triumphing over evil. The Sultan is cruel when he threatens to lock up Joha for not wishing his wart away. He then shows his greedy nature when he keeps the wishing stick for himself. In the end, Joha seems to be better off than the Sultan.

Review Excerpts

School Library Journal – “The wishing scheme and fulsome pictures promise read-aloud fun.”

Connections

·        * Read “The Answered Prayer,” that this tale was based on. Discuss the blend of wisdom and foolishness in both stories.

·        * Read other Joha tales. Students can compare and contrast the various versions.

·         *Other Middle Eastern children’s picture books:

o   Hickox, Rebecca.  The Golden Sandal: A Middle Eastern Cinderella Story.  ISBN: 978-0823415137.

o   Cleveland, Rob.  The Magic Apples: A Folktale from the Middle East.  ISBN: 978-0874838008.

o   Weedn, Flavia. The Ragged Peddler: Inspired by an Old Middle Eastern Tale. ISBN: 978-0786800469.