Because of the Camels


Book Description

All that Elizabeth McDermott knows about camels is the story of the three wise men. But in one dramatic year, camels change her life. In 1856, when the US Army imports camels to Texas, the young Galveston debutante and her family are uprooted to accompany the camels to San Antonio. On the trek, she makes three improbable friends: Alex, affable nephew of the Yankee commander; Hassan, handsome Egyptian camel handler; and Nate, restless grandson of the Matagorda lighthouse keeper. The camels' antics amuse and astonish, but tensions rise between those who envision a Camel Corps defending the West and others who find the beasts too foreign. Elizabeth worries as her new friends become embroiled in the conflict. Far removed from her sheltered upbringing, she suffers tragic loss, confronts the horrors of slavery, and finds love. One thing is certain: her fate is firmly linked to the camels. A fictional account of actual events, this cross-cultural adventure gives voice to an ensemble of feisty women, Muslim camel men, African-Americans, immigrant Germans, and colorful Texans, all brought together by the great American camel experiment.




The Camel and the Wheel


Book Description

Why, for many centuries, was the wheel abandoned in the Middle East in favor of the camel as a means of transport? This richly illustrated study explains this anomaly. Drawing on archaeology, art, technology, anthropology, linguistics, and camel husbandry, Bulliet explores the implications for the region's economic and social development during the Middle Ages and into modern times.




Super Shamlal - Living and Learning with Pathological Demand Avoidance


Book Description

Shamlal the Camel finds it almost impossible to do all the normal, everyday things that the other camels do. Her first word was 'NO!' and this is still the word she repeats the most through every day. Luckily, Shamlal's parents take her to a psychologist who explains that she has PDA, and gives her tips for how to live and learn with the syndrome. This simple, illustrated storybook will help children aged 7-11 with PDA to recognise its features, and develop tools to support them. A helpful introduction for parents and carers explains how it feels to live with the panic attacks and general anxiety that are caused by living with PDA, and the appendices at the back provide useful strategies to be adopted at school and at home.




The Camel Bookmobile


Book Description

Fiona Sweeney wants to do something that matters, and she chooses to make her mark in the arid bush of northeastern Kenya. By helping to start a traveling library, she hopes to bring the words of Homer, Hemingway, and Dr. Seuss to far-flung tiny communities where people live daily with drought, hunger, and disease. Her intentions are honorable, and her rules are firm: due to the limited number of donated books, if any one of them is not returned, the bookmobile will not return. But, encumbered by her Western values, Fi does not understand the people she seeks to help. And in the impoverished small community of Mididima, she finds herself caught in the middle of a volatile local struggle when the bookmobile's presence sparks a dangerous feud between the proponents of modernization and those who fear the loss of traditional ways.




Enamel the Camel


Book Description

"A misfit Camel with excellent dental hygiene shows his worth in a tale that covers a lot of ground." —School Library Journal Enamel wants to be like all the other camels who live in Camel-lot, but his front teeth are bigger than anyone else's. And they stick out. He's the only camel who brushes his teeth—he has to because everyone can see them. Enamel is tired of getting teased for being different. Then one day the class gets caught in a terrible sandstorm...and his exceptional incisors save the day. Enamel the Camel is an upbeat, humorous story about sticking out, stepping up, and the importance of good dental hygiene.




Camels


Book Description

It is amazing how a camel can survive the harsh deserts and the hottest spots in the world. The reason for this lies in the way their bodies are designed. Their humps are very important for survival. Even without food and water for many days, the fats in the humps provide for these necessities. Their facial features are also very helpful in the desert travels. Their noses can close. They have extra eyelids and long lashes. These all keep the desert sand from getting into their lungs and eyes. They have thick lips so that they are able to eat even the thorny plants in the desert. These are just some of the amazing things to know about a camel. In this book you will find many more interesting facts to add to what you already know about them. You will learn what they eat, drink, and how they survive in the desert. You will learn about their domesticated lives, what they do and how they are useful to humans. Some of the questions you might have about camels will be answered in this book. Questions like: Are camels aggressive animals? What do they do if they are threatened by humans? What is a bachelor herd? Do they have predators? What is a Bactrian camel? What is an F1 camel? Who are the camel's relatives? This book also contains more than 20 colorful photographs of the camel in its natural habitat. These photos will help you understand the life of a camel better.




Once Upon a Camel


Book Description

“A delight to the senses.” —Kirkus Reviews Perfect for fans of The One and Only Ivan, this exquisite middle grade novel from Newbery Honoree and National Book Award finalist Kathi Appelt follows a creaky old camel out to save two baby kestrel chicks during a massive storm in the Texas desert—filled with over a dozen illustrations by Caldecott winner Eric Rohmann. Zada is a camel with a treasure trove of stories to tell. She’s won camel races for the royal Pasha of Smyrna, crossed treacherous oceans to new land, led army missions with her best camel friend by her side, and outsmarted a far too pompous mountain lion. But those stories were from before. Now, Zada wanders the desert as the last camel in Texas. She’s not, however, alone. Two tiny kestrel chicks are nestled in the fluff of fur between her ears—kee-killy-keeing for their missing parents—and a dust storm the size of a mountain is taking Zada on one more grand adventure. And it could lead to this achy old camel’s most brilliant story yet.




Camel Crazy


Book Description

In this page-turning odyssey, a mother on a mission travels the globe — from Bedouin camps in the Middle East to Amish farms in Pennsylvania to camel-herder villages in India — to obtain camel milk, which dramatically helps her son’s autism symptoms. Chronicling bureaucratic roadblocks, adventure-filled detours, and Christina Adams’s love-fueled determination, Camel Crazy explores why camels are cherished as family members and hailed as healers. Adams’s work uncovers studies of camel milk for possible treatment of autism, allergies, diabetes, and immune dysfunction, as well as ancient traditions of healing. But the most fascinating aspect of Adams’s discoveries is the gentle-eyed, mischievous camels themselves. Huge and often unpredictable, they are amazingly intelligent and adaptable. This moving and rollicking ode to “camel people” and the creatures they adore reveals the ways camels touch lives around the world. Includes users’ and buyers’ guides to camel’s milk




Exiled


Book Description

Ali is a young camel in Egypt when he is captured by humans. Determined to "work, but never surrender," he earns a reputation as a disobedient animal and is sold to an American colonel. The year is 1856 and Ali soon finds himself in Texas as part of the U.S. Camel Corps. Crossing the landscape of 19th century America, Ali learns to balance his pride with the needs of his new companions, and slowly matures into a noble creature. Compellingly written from the camel's point of view, this unusual book offers a fresh and unusual perspective on a little-known slice of American history.




Camel Rider


Book Description

War has broken out in the Middle East and all foreigners are fleeing. Instead of escaping with his neighbors, Adam sneaks off to save his dog, which has been left behind. Lost in the desert, Adam meets Walid, an abused camel boy who is on the run. Together they struggle to survive the elements and elude the revengeful master from whom Walid has fled. Cultural and language barriers are wide, but with ingenuity and determination the two boys bridge their differences, helping each other to survive and learn what true friendship is.