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Did you catch the first episode of Ken Burns’ film The War about World War II on PBS this weekend? Like much of Burns’ work, I was touched, horrified and spellbound - all at the same time. The story is told through the personal accounts of women and men from four American towns, a terrific way of making the experience of war more personal and heartbreaking.

Click Communications sent me a preview copy of the six DVD set. The first episode was so good that I’m tempted to watch the whole thing right now while Lucie’s at preschool this week. (Plus the premier of Heroes is on tonight, so I’ll miss part of the second episode anyway.)

Released on PBS Home Video, The War - A Film By Ken Burns and Lynn Novick will be available for purchase October 10, just after the series finishes up on TV. Good thing too, because you should watch The War after the kids go to bed. Within the first 30 seconds, you’re shown footage of dead soldiers, soon followed by footage of dead civilians (including children) and a horrifying shot of a Jewish infant who starved to death in the Polish ghettos.

If you’re kids are high schoolers, plan to watch The War with them. PBS’s website has a section just for educators that parents can use, too. There are 14 lesson plans with classroom activities appropriate for students in grades 9-12. You may want to go through them to find topics for you and your teenager to discuss.

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Dawn and Dusk by Alice Mead and Camel Rider by Prue Mason both deal with Middle Eastern war and political/social strife as seen through the eyes of children.

Camel Rider

Published by Charlesbridge, Camel Rider tells the story of spoiled, Australian expat Adam. When war breaks out, Adam’s parents are gone. He goes with neighbors to escape the country. He soon leaves the caravan in order to go back to his compound to save his dog, which was left behind. Soon lost and out of water, Adam meets Walid, an abused boy and camel jockey who has run away from his cruel masters. Neither speaks each other’s language, but they manage to help each other survive and become friends.

Camel Rider doesn’t get mired down in war or politics. Instead, it becomes a classic boy’s adventure tale complete with ships (well, camels and automobiles) and pirates (I mean, Walid’s former masters who kidnap Adam for ransom.) The language differences and misconceptions about each other’s culture provide some laughs, too. And of course there’s the happy ending - boys, dog and parents are reunited and there’s even a visit from the Prime Minister of Abudai. Recommended for ages 9-12.

(Download the discussion guide PDF. Or read a chapter from the book.)

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Ziba Came on a Boat by Liz Lofthouse and illustrated by Robert Ingpen is a story of a young girl who escapes from war-torn Afghanistan on a refugee boat. As they travel, thoughts of home “washed over Ziba like the surge of the sea washing over the deck.” She remembers playing in the cold mountain air with her cousins, her mother weaving a rug, and her father telling stories.

As the boat tosses and turns, Ziba thinks about the fighting in her village and how she and her mother left running through the night. Falling asleep, she dreams about the smiling faces that will welcome them to a land without fear and with freedom.

The book is based on stories the author heard from Afghan refugees she works with in Perth, Washington. Kane/Miller Publishing recommends Ziba Came on a Boat for ages 5 to 9.

During Ziba’s journey, she looks back at she and her aunts preparing a meal, flatbread cooked in a tandur. But you can make flatbread, called noni, in a conventional oven, too.

Noni Afghani (Afghan Bread)

Ingredients:

1. 1 1/2 cup warm water
2. 1 package (1/4 oz, 7 grams) dry yeast
3. 1 tablespoon sugar
4. 4 cups flour
5. 1 teaspoon salt
6. 1/4 cup corn oil
7. 1 egg yolk mixed with 1 tablespoon water
8. 1 tablespoon black cumin seed

Directions:

These small oval breads are baked in a Tandoor, the stove of the region. The Afghan oven is above ground and is made of rounded bricks, which are heated. Noni are shaped and put on the hot bricks for fast baking.

1. Mix 1/2 cup of warm water, yeast, and sugar together and let it proof for 10 min. When froth appears, sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of flour on top. Let it continue to proof for 5 min more. The froth will rise quickly.
2. Put flour in a large mixing bowl & sprinkle salt over it. Make a well in middle of flour. Add oil and yeast mixture. Stir this in and add small amounts of water until you have produced a soft, moist dough that can be handled.
3. Knead well for 5 minutes. Then put dough ball back in bowl, cover with a towel, and let rise for 1-1/2 hours. Punch down dough.
4. Divide dough into 8 equal parts and roll each part into a ball. Roll each ball into a oval shape 6 to 7 inches long and1/2 inch thick. Draw tines of a fork in 3 lines along length of each noni for a decorative design.
5. Paint each noni w/egg mixture and sprinkle with1/2 teaspoon black cumin seeds. (Caraway seeds may be substituted if black cumin seed is unobtainable.)
6. Put noni on an ungreased cookie sheet or pizza stone. Bake in a preheated 350 F oven for 20 to 25 minutes until the tops are brown.

Tasting the Sky: A Palestinian Childhood by Ibtisam Barakat is her story of surviving the Six-Day War and growing up during the Israeli occupation of the West Bank.

War as told through the eyes of a child is very powerful. You are amazed that while they are terrified, they find something good in all the suffering - animal friends, playing with siblings, stealing pastries, and going to a U.N. run school.

In a time when Islam has such a bad name, it’s wonderful that a book like Tasting the Sky: A Palestinian Childhood comes out to show people that kids are alike all over the world, no matter their religion or what language they speak. They want to feel safe, have their parents’ love…and not eat lentils.

(Click here for more YA novel reviews.)

In the book, Ibtisam mentions a dish her mother used to make with semolina flour, yogurt, sugar, slivered almonds, and sweet syrup. She called it basbooseh but I after doing an Internet search, the more common spelling seems to be basboosa. It’s also common in Egypt, Lebanon, and Tunisia.

The easiest recipe I found comes from Lubna at Allrecipes.com. She says she got it from her sister-in-law. Pay attention to the reviews as everyone had variations and tips on how they cooked up the recipe. Be forewarned though - it’s sweet!

Basboosa
Prep Time: 20 Minutes - Cook Time: 30 Minutes - Ready In: 50 Minutes
Yields: 12 servings

Ingredients:

1. 1 1/2 cups semolina flour (semolina is the same as Cream of Wheat - don’t use the instant kind, however)
2. 1/2 cup white sugar
3. 1 cup plain yogurt
4. 1/2 cup vegetable oil
5. 3 tablespoons flaked coconut
6. 1 tablespoon baking powder
7. 6 whole almonds, split in half

Syrup:

1. 1 1/2 cups water
2. 1 3/4 cups white sugar
3. 2 tablespoons rose water (you can substitute orange water as well - if you don’t have either, just make the sugar syrup and maybe add a little almond, orange or lemon extract)

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the semolina flour, 1/2 cup of sugar, yogurt, oil, coconut, and baking powder. Set aside for 30 minutes.
2. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stir together the water, 1 3/4 cups sugar, and rosewater. Bring to a boil, and boil for 3 or 4 minutes. Remove from heat, and set aside to cool to room temperature.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the semolina batter into the bottom of a 9×13 inch baking pan. Slice into squares or diamonds, and place on almond half onto each piece.
4. Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until light brown. Switch the oven setting to broil, and broil until the top is golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the oven, and pour the syrup over the squares. Serve warm.

Picture courtesy of Tunisianswife, an Allrecipes.com reviewer.

Other Basboosa Recipes

• From Recipezaar.com
• Egyptian basboosa recipe
• Middle Eastern basboosa recipe from RecipeCottage.com
• Basboosa recipe from Lifespan of Chennette