Rukhsana Khan, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie,
Ruler of the Courtyard
Viking, 2003.

A Pakistani girl must cross a wide, sun-drenched courtyard on her way to the bathhouse each morning, but a potentially pleasant walk is wrecked by the presence of a few unrelenting tormentors. Do you know how dogs seem to be able to smell fear? Apparently, chicken possess this same strange skill, and they respond to Saba's insecurity as poultry will: with flailing wings and wicked pecks.

Ruler of the Courtyard is a story about a child's fear, told in a voice that is anything but timid. Evocative language shaped by undulating rhythms describes Saba's paranoid anxiety: “Bony beaks, razor claws, with GLITTERY eyes that wonder, wonder as they watch me, how easy it would be to make me scream.” How can Saba overcome her paralyzing fear?

She does make it across the courtyard and into the cool quiet of the bathhouse, but Rukhsan Khan steers her heroine into a quandary where she must face a deadlier foe: Saba spies what appears to be a snake lying coiled in the corner. She can't get out of the bathhouse without disturbing it, and if she waits for her aunt to come through the door, it will attack. A taut, suspenseful tale unfolds as Saba musters the bravery to do what must be done.

R. Gregory Christie slathers emotional intensity across the canvas of his magnificently expressionistic illustrations: raucous colors electrify his compositions, while sharp diagonals and crashing lines evoke danger and alarm. Saba's face is a shifting portrait of emotion. Trepidation and terror blossom into powerful glee as she escapes her bathhouse enemy to confront the courtyard bullies. Chaotic black and white and gray chicken feathers scatter through the yellow heat of the air as Saba, triumphant at last, runs at the birds, arms overhead and mouth wide open in a cry of glory: “I AM MIGHTY SABA! RULER OF THE COURTYARD!”

The book's cover reinforces who the true “ruler of the courtyard” is: Saba smiles broadly as she kneels down with a pan of chicken feed. An almost friendly looking hen approaches. Fear of chickens (and lenghts of rope masquerading as snakes) subsides as a young girl discovers hidden reserves of courage.

Christine Alfano
Spring 2003