King for a Day

by Rukhsana Khan, Christiane Krmer (Illustrator)

Basant is here, with feasts and parties to celebrate the arrival of spring. But what Malik is looking forward to most is doing battle from his rooftop with Falcon, the special kite he has built for speed. Today is Malik’s chance to be the best kite fighter, the king of Basant. In two fierce battles, Malik takes down the kites flown by the bully next door. Then Malik moves on, guiding Falcon into leaps, swirls, and dives, slashing strings and plucking kites from the sky. By the end of the day, Malik has a big pile of captured kites. He is the king! But then the bully reappears, trying to take a kite from a girl in the alley below. With a sudden act of kingly generosity, Malik finds the perfect way to help the girl. This lively, contemporary story introduces readers to a centuries-old festival and the traditional sport of kite fighting, and to a spirited, determined young boy who masters the sport while finding his own way to face and overcome life’s challenges.

Genres: Picture Books, Disability, Cultural, Pakistan, Childrens, Fiction, Family

32 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2013

Reviews

[Manybooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

In King for a Day (2014) Rukhsana Khan's words and Christiane Krömer's accompanying artwork textually and illustratively present how in the city of Lahore, Pakistan, the spring festival of Basant with its kite flying competitions and evening fireworks has arrived, how young protagonist and first person narrator Malik has for this year's festival only made one kite to use in the kite battles over the city, but is still sure that "Falcon" will definitely be fast enough to reign supreme, to avoid having its strings cut, and that with his specially constructed for speed, agility etc. kite, Malik will also be able to capture the most kites and to thus be considered "King for a Day" (hence of course the book title). And equally in King for a Day, Malik is especially, is in particular interested in teaching the bully who lives next door an important and necessary lesson for all of the times he has been abusive and has said horrible things to Malik and his siblings (and yes, King for a Day verbally and visually shows how ALL of the bully's kites in fact fail and are captured by Malik and Falcon, including the very large and imposing kite the nameless nasty calls Goliath). So with Malik spending his day using Falcon to capture other kites by cutting their strings with Falcon's strings, at the end of Basant he has a pretty large pile of kites at his feet, enough so to indeed be King of the Day, and when the horrid neighbourhood bully rushes out of his house in a rage and takes a kite from a little girl, Malik anonymously gives her Goliath (which alongside of the final scenes of celebratory fireworks provides a lovely and delightful conclusion to King for a Day).

Now with King for a Day Khan vividly features a unique spring festival (and that King for a Day of course also tells of Malik's ingenious, competition winning kite construction and kite flying know-how and equally so showing him successfully standing up to and repeatedly defeating a despicable local bully) and with Krömer's illustrations (using a mix of drawings, paper and Pakistani-themed textiles) not only reflecting what Rukhsana Khan's is telling, what she is verbally describing in King for a Day but also nicely visually expanding on the presented text, with Christiane Krömer's collages capturing the crispness and the variety of the many different types of kites in the sky above Lahore for Basant and with Krömer's artwork also depicting that Malik sits in a wheelchair. So yes, and indeed really wonderfully I must say, in King for a Day, that Malik has physical challenges and is in a wheelchair is only shown through and with Christiane Krömer's pictures and is not ever mentioned in and by Rukhsana Khan's text, and that this in my opinion demonstrates how Malik is simply and first and foremost a young Pakistani boy from Lahore who enjoys Basant and is an expert kite maker and flyer and that this also adds power to the idea that Basant is a holiday for everyone and that all abilities and all ages can and do participate making, flying and capturing kites.

And with both my inner child and also adult I really liking and appreciating the combination of Khan's writing and Krömer's illustrations, Rukhsana Khan's informative author's note on Basant at the back of King for a Day (that Basant was originally a Hindu spring festival but became popular in Lahore, Pakistan across and despite religious differences, although celebrating Basant and the kite flying competitions have been banned in Lahore since 2005 due to both safety concerns and also because of the Hindu nature of Basant and that Pakistan is of course primarily a Muslim nation), yes, this is the icing on the cake for me and as such also totally cements my five star rating for King for a Day (and that I equally and therefore do very warmly and enthusiastically recommend King for a Day).

[Karen Witzler · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wheelchair bound Pakistani boy named Malik takes to the rooftops of Lahore to participate in the Spring Kite Festival called Basant. His brother and sister are with him battling and taking neighborhood kites with his own small wonder, the Falcon.
Illustrator Christiane Kromer complements Rukhsana Khan's text with beautiful collage and textile illustrations.

[Tasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is Basant in the city of Lahore, Pakistan and Malik has only made one kite to use in the kite battles over the city. Malik is still sure of himself though, eager to show how fast his Falcon kite is. Malik is especially interested in teaching the bully who lives next door a lesson for all of the times he’s said horrible things to Malik and his sister. He also dreams of being the king of Basant, the best kite fighter in the city. Malik spends his day freeing other kites by cutting their strings, and at the end of the day he has a pile of kites at his feet. Then the neighborhood bully emerges again and tries to take a kite from a little girl, but Malik uses his new status as King to solve the problem.

Khan has captured a unique festival in Pakistan that is vivid, visual and offers children the ability to take on the city for a day. Malik sits in a wheelchair throughout the book, but it is never mentioned in the text. This quiet acceptance of a disability adds power to the idea that Basant is a holiday for everyone and that all abilities and ages can participate. Khan has a nice touch with the kite battles, creating drama by sharing details but also making sure that the story is fast-paced and interesting.

Kromer’s illustrations are a beautiful mix of paper art and textiles. Using textiles from the region brings in the deep colors and textures. The paper arts capture the crispness of the kites in the sky and also the beauty of the people. The mix of the two has a richness that suits the subject.

Celebrate Basant with this picture book that offers a glimpse of the Pakistani culture through the eyes of a young boy. Appropriate for ages 4-6.

[Ashley Fulkerson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book. The illustrations are so vibrate and inviting which made the book feel real to me. The story is also a great one for children to read because it gives children a window to see someone who is in a wheelchair without focusing on the disability. What I like about this story is that if you were to read the book without seeing the pictures then you wouldn’t know that Malik was in a wheelchair which is good because it lets children know that those who are physically different from them are still very capable and can do anything anyone else can do even if it might look a little different. I also think that this story helps break down the single story for people who are in wheelchairs because it shows they can do anything that able bodied people can do.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. The illustrations are stunning, & I love that the illustrations show you Malik is in a wheelchair, but that's not the focus of the story.

This is Malik's story, & he is focused on Basant. During the day he also encounters a bully, & has opportunities to be kind. An excellent book for growing readers.

[Jennifer Worrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story is beautifully done, and the illustrations are phenomenal!

[Lexi Lashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always found interest in stories with children with disabilities; and this story was no different. This starts out with a boy named Malik, and this story has a bully. You can tell by the illustrations on the front page that Malik is in a wheelchair and faces struggles in his life. But this is not the main focus of this book; the main focus is about teaching the bully how to be nice and persistent. He just wants to be King of Basant for a day which is the best kite flyer. I love that this book barely acknowledged that Malik was in a wheelchair because you should not judge one by their looks and judge their personality. Malik still had big dreams and was wanting to accomplish big dreams. I definitely see this going on my future shelves because I am pursuing a special education degree. If I am capable of teaching a class with disabilities; I want to teach my class that they are no different and can do anything they put their mind to.

[Luisa Knight · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's an interesting story and worth the read. I found the writing/story a little disjointed at the beginning which is why I gave it just the two stars.

Ages: 5 - 9

Cleanliness: there is a bully in the story and a brother and sister get revenge by cutting his kite.

#geography #asia #pakistan #spring #basant

**Like my reviews? I also have hundreds of detailed reports that I offer too. These reports give a complete break-down of everything in the book, so you'll know just how clean it is or isn't. I also have Clean Guides (downloadable PDFs) which enable you to clean up your book before reading it! Visit my website: The Book Radar.

[Kacie]

I really enjoyed the use of color for the kites. Reminded me of The Kite Runner

[Sigrid A · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book for Book Riot's Read Harder challenge - i.e. read a picture book about a disabled character that doesn't center disability.

In King for a Day, wheelchair-bound Malik celebrates the Pakistani kite festival Basant from his rooftop. He enjoys flying his kite, avenging himself on a bully, and sharing his kite with a girl targeted by that same bully. Malik is mischievous and delightful, and I enjoyed learning about the festival.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up King for a Day as part of the Book Riot Read Harder Challenge. I needed a children’s book that starred a child with a disability without the disability being central to the story. I must say this was a quadruple-whammy: met the goal, warmed my heart to see a character with a disability where the disability wasn’t even mentioned, explained a festival I had no previous knowledge of, and the artwork awed me. I adore piece-art where a variety of mediums are used to convey an image. The fact that the textures transfer to the two-dimensional page but still POP always amazes me.

My only wish was that the bully had got his comeuppance. Yes, he lost both of his kites to Malik. But he also called Malik’s sister names (she shouted back at the bully but was said to have still looked very hurt) and stole a kite from a younger child. I get that handling bullies is difficult and that there is not a perfect solution. But, as a child and tween, I was told to ignore taunts and bullying. Teachers never did anything. And, to this day, I wish I had been able to fight back in some manner – or witness the bully being punished by an adult for their behavior. Children who are confronted with bullies need tools to handle the treatment and need to witness the bully being taken-to-task.

[Maria Rowe · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had never heard of Basalt: the kite festival in South Asia that celebrates the beginning of spring where people have kite battles. This book takes places in Lahore, Pakistan and traditionally the strings were coated with powered glass, then later metal, to cut the strings of others’ kites. The book explains in the colophon that the kite battles have been banned in Lahore for various reasons including safety (injuring people and cutting electrical wires), but there’s a movement to bring it back.

I’m not entirely sure what to make of this book! On the one hand, it was neat to read about a festival (an especially large one it seems!) that I’d never heard of. The collage work is really well down, and very festive. On the other hand, this seems like a kind of dangerous activity and I’m not surprised it’s banned. The main character Malik is excited about Basant because he wants to get revenge on the bully next door, and is really excited to destroy his kites. Malik’s little brother gathers all the kites Malik has “freed” and divvies them up with his siblings. I’m just not sure if the best way to deal with bullying is to bully back? Although that’s kind of the point of the festival, so I don’t know. I guess I just feel weird about the festival itself - I love the idea of celebrating spring and flying kites and I looked at pictures on the internet and it looks so pretty, but coating the strings with glass or metal especially in a large city seems so dangerous and unnecessary.

Materials used: mixed media collage
Typeface used: Minion

[Luda Gogolushko · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you didn’t see the illustrations, you wouldn’t know the main character was in a wheelchair. It made me wonder if the author intended to have a disabled character or if the illustrator added that as an afterthought. Even though there was mention of other characters’ abilities, like, “On the count of three, my sister jumps.” As well as, “The bully pushes a young girl to the ground. Then he grabs her kite and runs into his house. The girl gets to her feet. “ Throughout the book, movements of people and kites were described in detail. But there was no mention of the main character sitting in his wheelchair or rolling to the edge of the roof. It was mostly him pulling and controlling the kites. It’s great when a story focuses on a story that doesn’t focus on disability, but completely ignoring it doesn’t make the story feel complete or authentic. The topic and culture of the kite tradition (Basant) was interesting to experience, but I would have liked more of a satisfactory ending.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Basant celebrates the arrival of spring in Pakistan, and one boy, Malik, has designed an especially sound kite that he uses in several kite battles. Older readers of The Kite Runner will recognize the way the kite owners compete, cutting the strings of other kites to make them fall to the ground. Malik uses the kite he thinks of as the Falcon to engage in fierce competition with the bully next door. The text and mixed media collage illustrations provide interesting written and visual information about this festival. Since Malik is depicted in a wheelchair and the bully makes cutting remarks to Malik's sister, it isn't hard to imagine how much Malik longs to even the playing ground just for once through the flying of kites from the village rooftops. An afterword provides additional information about Basant.

[Kristi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This completes Task 21: A CHILDREN’S BOOK THAT CENTERS A DISABLED CHARACTER BUT NOT THEIR DISABILITY from Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge.

The book was illustrated in simple pencil drawings, but in a way, that was beautiful. I learned about Basant, the Spring Kite Festival in Pakistan. I was confused about the main character, Malik trying to cut the other kite's strings, but then it was explained that Kite Fighting is a part of the festival. This book was a good story and I got to learn new things. Inshe Allah, I will read more from this author.

[Elisabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish this were more about Basant and less about a bully. Although the note at the end is informative and interesting -- I wanted more festival!

[Allie Gearhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading Level: 3.9

King for a Day is about a young boy and his younger sister who live in Pakistan and are celebrating Basant. The story outlines the festivities that go along with the holiday as well as a common rivalry that occurs each year with kites!

King for a Day has many elaborate illustrations throughout the book that help the reader with understanding the context, making it a great picture book. The photos show a place that is unlike what you would see in present-day America. The city looks different, the clothing is different, and the names and holidays are different. The story informs the reader all about the Basant holiday, making it an informational piece as well. The story is told from a first person point of view that could very much be a real story of Basant written by someone who had celebrated it.

The end of the book provides detailed information about Basant and its role in Pakistani culture. This factual information helps the reader to transfer their factual knowledge to the story.

King for a Day does a great job of ensuring that all conventions are correct throughout the story, making it a great mentor text for students. Because the story is informational and multicultural, there are many proper nouns (holidays, towns, countries, names, etc.) within the text. The story also uses some of the Arabic language that would be used in Pakistan. These short little phrases are not explained, but the reader can understand there is something unique about this text because it is always italicized. A writer could gain some valuable information on the proper way to punctuate a story that uses many proper nouns.

This story would be a great addition to a multicultural unit, as it’s a story, but also provides a lot of valuable information on Basant in Pakistan. The story could be used for a lesson on diversity where students could compare and contrast Basant with American holidays. This story could help lead into some greater conversations about culture, differences, holidays, and geography.

King for a Day would also be a valuable mentor text for a developing writer who is learning to write in first person. The whole story is told from the perspective of a young boy. Showing students this book and how the entire story is consistent in it's first person narrative would show them the proper way to do this. An example of using this in the classroom could be to read the story to the class and then have each student write a narrative, from their own perspective, on one of their favorite holidays and the traditions that go along with it.

[Fabian Tenorio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Want to see how a boy who, despite not being the fastest, biggest, or strongest, manages to win the kite tournament? Come and read this book. In this book, we see how Malik is excited to participate in the Basant festival, and when the day of the tournament arrives, he sees an older boy bothering a girl. Malik decides to intervene, and thanks to an ingenious move, he manages to cut the other boy's kite and retrieve the girl's. In the end, he wins and does the right thing. I liked this book because it shows that the most important thing is helping others and that there are more important things than winning, though thankfully Malik was able to help and win at the same time. The major themes in the book were resilience and courage. The first is seen when Malik enters the tournament despite not being the fastest and despite having physical limitations that prevent him from giving his all, and the second is seen when Malik defends the girl from an older boy. The primary genre of this book is Contemporary Realistic Fiction. Through reading this book, I learned that it's good to be resilient and that even if we think we can't win because we have a disadvantage, that's no reason to get discouraged and not participate. On the contrary, it's a reason to give twice as much and bring out the best in ourselves. I also learned how vital courage is and how important it is to continuously support the defenseless or those who can't defend themselves. This book was a WOW book for me because I liked seeing a protagonist who transforms his challenges into strengths.

The author used multiple literary devices and other forms of writing craft in this book. First, the author used the writing craft technique of imagery. An example of this is when the author describes a sky full of comets, using images that reinforce the image and help the reader visualize it. Second, the author used the writing craft technique of characterization. An example of this is when the author tells us that Malik not only has a disability but is also intelligent and strong despite it. We see this when he focuses on the competition while also supporting the girl. I would consider this book an anti-bias book because it presents a person with a disability in a strong, kind, and intelligent light.

[Anthony Balsimo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about a vengeance against a mean bully in a cultural event called Basant. This event is a fun event for arabic culture about kites. This book is a very good story for the david vs goliath type of story where the little guy is the victor against a much bigger foe. The themes of this book are compassion and cooperation as Malik and his sister fight against an oppresive bully to stop him from ruining their celebrations on a cultural event. This book is contemporary realistic fiction as it contains topics that can happen in real life and explains cultural events while maintaining accuracy. Through reading this book I learned what it is like experiencing Basant and living life with a disability. This book was a wow book for me due to the amazing topics that are in this book and the descriptions about life with a disability. As well as this learning about new topics from different cultures helps me to be more informed about other cultures and the significance of the events they hold.
There are two types of literary devices used in this story which are symbolism and imagery. The symbolism in this story increases the quality of the book by making the win against goliath all that more satisfying by making the main characters kits much smaller than the bullies kite. The imagery increases the quality of the story by creating an immersive experience for the cultural event that happens so the readers can truly understand why it is so important to arabic culture. This book is anti bias due to its main character being disabled and showing how much he is able to do even though the bully makes it seem like he can't do it.

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Today I read this book to my third grade students, and although the setting of the picture book is Pakistan, I presumed the illustrations with "foreign" script were in Pashto or Urdu. When my kids looked at the illustration, they all, in unison, said, "That's Arabic." And while many can speak Arabic, or understand it, only one student could read it. All of a sudden, that was enough to make the entire group perk up.
Because there was not one single student from Pakistan in our diverse group, I hesitated to offer this book to the class. But the illustrations are so gorgeous, and the young hero is so loving to his sister and to his neighbor, I felt like they would enjoy this short picture book. It ended up being the right call.
All of a sudden, hands popped up, and many wanted to share their "I-lived-in-such-and-such-place" so that's why I speak Arabic. Or, "When I lived in Karachi, we saw the kite festival." A picture book that gives kids the opportunity to share their beautiful experiences is always a win.
If I could have those twenty minutes back, I would ask them to pay attention to the hero and how his kindness and generosity make him someone to admire. He protects his sister from the bully's insults, and when he observe the bully taking a kite from one of the other neighborhood girls, he anonymously gives the little girl "Goliath", the big kite that he won from the bully.

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Basant is here, with feasts and parties to celebrate the arrival of spring. But what Malik is looking forward to most is doing battle from his rooftop with Falcon, the special kite he has built for speed. Today is Malik’s chance to be the best kite fighter, the king of Basant.

In two fierce battles, Malik takes down the kites flown by the bully next door. Then Malik moves on, guiding Falcon into leaps, swirls, and dives, slashing strings and plucking kites from the sky. By the end of the day, Malik has a big pile of captured kites. He is the king! But then the bully reappears, trying to take a kite from a girl in the alley below. With a sudden act of kingly generosity, Malik finds the perfect way to help the girl.

This lively, contemporary story introduces readers to a centuries-old festival and the traditional sport of kite fighting, and to a spirited, determined young boy who masters the sport while finding his own way to face and overcome life’s challenges.

[Dan Marfise · Rating 4 out of 5]

King for a Day is about a boy Malik who seeks to be the king of Basant. Basant is a kite flying festival held to signify the start of spring in Pakistan and the Punjab region of India. To be the King of Basant Malik needs to fly his kite and take down everyone else’s kite to be the last kite in the air.
In the story Malik faces the bully that lives next door and works as a team with his sister, he also anonymously helps a girl down on the street from his rooftop. One thing that I really enjoyed about this story was that Malik is in a wheelchair, but the story is not about him being in a wheelchair, it just happens to be apart of Malik’s appearance.
This is a great little story that introduces the festival of Basant in an easy and approachable way while also offering other culturally relative information and concepts.

[Lorenzo · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think this book is definitely better for learning about Basant than it is for having physical disability represented in literature. Even then, I don't know that it is particularly representative of what Basant is about. I think it definitely provides a view into Pakistani culture, but I don't know that it would be fully appreciated as such by its younger target audience. I also think the story about a disabled kid continually winning against a character literally called, "the bully" is overdone and not particularly great for representation. It's not even explicitly stated what the protagonist is being bullied over, which kind of leads the reader to have to fill in the blanks about what this kid could be bullied about. Overall, I do think it has some redeeming qualities, but I would not choose this book over others that represent physical disability and/or Pakistani culture.

[KitaabWorld.com · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this beautifully illustrated book, the textured landscapes of Lahore come alive to celebrate the spring festival of Basant with a kite flying competition. Malik, a young disabled boy, too has been planning for this day by making a special kite with which he wants to rule the skies. The story focusses on Malik’s strength of character - a thoughtful boy who stands up to the bully, works together with his siblings, and shows kindness to a young girl. Author Rukhsana Khan is a connoisseur of telling great stories about young children while subtly weaving in their cultural contexts.

See other books in our Muslim Kids as Heroes booklist here:
https://kitaabworld.com/blogs/news/co...

[Fatime Cela · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has not won any awards, and it would be appropriate for children in 1st-3rd grade.

Malik is excited for Basant, the annual spring kite festival. He uses his kite, Falcon, to take down all the other kites from the sky, including those of the neighborhood bully. Malik becomes the king of Basant, and uses his collection of kites to help a young girl being picked on by the bully.

I think this is a good book to expose children to different cultures and traditions. It teaches them new words and all about a cultural tradition while still being a fun story about taking down the competition to be a "king."

After reading this book, children can design their own kites and have a class competition outside. It can also be used during a diversity unit.

[Jane Rutherford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read Harder Challenge 2021 - Task 21 - Read a children’s book that centers a disabled character but not their disability.

Read two other books that fit this challenge: Susan Laughs by Jeanne Willis and Hello Goodbye Dog by Maria Gianferrari . All three were great, but I liked King for a Day a bit more than the other two because, from the illustrations, one can see he is disabled, but no mention is made of it otherwise.

[Nicola · Rating 3 out of 5]

We've read about kite flying festivals in a few countries around the world as part of homeschooling and enjoyed this one set in Pakistan. There must be a tremendous amount of skill involved! I liked that there was additional information about the festival and kites at the end of the book [I had wondered how it could cut the kite strings!]. I also liked that the book features a disabled character, Malik is in a wheelchair, but this is normalized within the text [i.e. it isn't a defining feature of his character].

Miss 7 and I like to explore different books and authors at the library, sometimes around particular topics or themes. We try to get different ones out every week or so; it's fun for both of us to have the variety and to look at a mix of new & favourite authors

[Nahuatl P Vargas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me encantaron las ilustraciones de este libro que están hechas con una combinación de técnicas, dibujo pintura y collage de pedacitos de papel y tela.
El cuento nos relata el festival Basant en Pakistán que celebra la llegada de la primavera.
Se organizan peleas de papalotes (cometas), en las que se pretende cortar el hilo de otros papalotes sin que el propio sea cortado.
En este libro Malik demuestra su maestría cortando los diferentes hilos de los demás concursantes, por eso es Rey por un día. En ningún momento so comenta si quiera el hecho de que está en una silla de ruedas, lo cual es muy positivo. También se habla positivamente sobre las habilidades de su hermana, lo que refleja que no por ser niña es menos capaz.
Recomiendo ampliamente.

[Emily Bruns · Rating 3 out of 5]

At the annual celebration of Basant in Pakistan, a boy uses his kite to battle others. He spends the day catching kites with the help of his brother and sister.

This book could be used for grades Kindergarten and 1st grade as a read aloud or for 2nd as an independent reading. I do not know what I would use this for in the classroom, but I did find this book to be an excellent representation of diversity. The story takes places in Pakistan with Pakistani characters and the main character is a boy who is wheelchair bound. This could be a representation that might be helpful for a particular student to see.

[Katie Mac · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Riot Read Harder Challenge 2021: Read a children’s book that centers a disabled character but not their disability.

This is worth a read for the illustrations alone--the mixed-media look makes them feel like they're popping off the page, and they're incredibly vibrant--but the message about not letting one's disability define or inhibit oneself is a valuable one too. While a more legible font size and style would have suited this book better, it would work for readers ages 5-10 who want to learn more about Pakistani culture. The afterword has some additional information about Basant for more advanced readers and adults too.