Books For Beginners
Anju Virmani
ADIL ALI’S SHOES by Fawzia Gilani-Williams Tulika Books, 2018, 32 pp., 190
November 2018, volume 42, No 11

Adil Ali’s Shoes is an adorable tale about a kind and good-hearted man, Adil Ali and his old worn out shoes. Although everyone liked Adil Ali, they hated his shoes and thought that he should get rid of them. Fawzia Gilani-Williams, the author, has written this book in such a beautiful way that you can visualize everything in your mind, but the attractive illustrations by Niloufer Wadia make reading this book even more enjoyable.

The main plot of the story is that Adil Ali wants to get rid of his old shoes but they always end up coming back to him. He throws them in the river, the fisherman brings them back. He throws them off a cliff, a cartman returns them. How will he get rid of the shoes? Will he even get rid of the shoes?

The story is set in a little town, one where everyone knows each other. A large part of the story takes place in the bazaar of the town, where Adil Ali lives and has a small shop. The time period is not clearly mentioned in the story. None of the characters are shown using modern gadgets and there is no mention of technology, hence I think the story is set in the past. The story has only one protagonist—Adil Ali—but too many secondary characters, which may make the book confusing for younger readers.

I can’t tell you what happens to the shoes, but I can tell you what I liked and disliked about the book. The vocabulary used in this book is very simple. I like that the writer has used sound words, like ‘Smack!’ and ‘Ayyyyyyeeeeeeeee.’ I liked the descriptions given by the author. They paint a very vivid picture in the reader’s mind. I think the characters could have been better described—maybe more information could have been given about Adil Ali’s friends. If the characters were better described, certain scenes would have been easier to understand. I recommend this book to everyone. The book is meant for five-year olds, but I think people of all ages will enjoy it.

Rating: Four and a half out of five

Aastha Nayak is twelve years old, lives in Pune, and loves to read and write. She goes to Vibgyor High.

Review Details

Book Name: ADIL ALI’S SHOES
Reviewer name: Anju Virmani
Author name: Fawzia Gilani-Williams
Book Year: 2018
Publisher Name: Tulika Books
Book Price: 190
Book Pages: 32

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