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Gr 2-5 Ten-year-old Naima longs to earn money to help her poor Bangladeshi family, but her talent in painting traditional patterns, or alpanas, is no use. While considering whether she could disguise herself as a boy and try to drive her father's rickshaw, she wrecks the vehicle and its painted tin sides on a test-drive, threatening the family's sole livelihood. Her solution is to steal away, disguised as a boy, to a repai...Log In or Sign Up to Read More

Ten-year-old Naima may win prizes for designing and painting alpanas, the traditional decorative patterns that women use to adorn homes in their small Bangladeshi village, but, as her mother says, "Alpanas can't put rice on the table." Naima's parents can't afford school fees for both their daughters; now that it's her little sister's turn for schooling, disguising herself as a boy seems the only way for Naima to contribute m...Log In or Sign Up to Read More

Ten-year-old Naima paints <i>alpanas</i>, decorative patterns adorning Bangladeshi homes. But disguising herself as a boy seems the only way to ...Log In or Sign Up to Read More