Leyla: The Black Tulip

Leyla: The Black Tulip is a book from the Girls of Many Lands series. The book was sold with the Leyla Doll, but it could also be purchased seperatley. The book is written in first person and takes place in Turkey in the year 1720.

Facts

 * Author: Alev Lytle Croutier
 * Illustrator: Kazuhiko Sano
 * First Published: 2003
 * Setting: Turkey in 1720

Characters

 * Laleena/Leyla
 * Mother
 * Aslan
 * Cengiz
 * Ilia
 * the twins
 * Cafer Efendi
 * Lena/Semiramis
 * Madam Siranush
 * the Padishah
 * Nedim "the Nightingale"
 * Sümbül Ağa
 * the Kahya/the Chief Housekeeper
 * Mistress of the Flowers
 * Belkis
 * the Haseki Sultana
 * Prince Mejnun
 * Princess Fatma
 * İbrahim Pasha
 * Master Levni

Quick Summary
Leyla's family is struggling to meet ends in Turkey in 1720. Aslan, Leyla's father, went off to war and disappeared. To help her family, Leyla sells herself as a future wife to a stranger in İstanbul, however, she is actually being sold as a slave. She finds herself at the Topkapi Palace in İstanbul, where strict regulations are enforced. However, Leyla finds comfort in two things - gardening, especially her tulips, and in drawing, though it is forbidden. Will Leyla's drawing be discovered? Will she be able to grow the extremely rare and sought-for black tulip? And will she ever learn of her father's fate? Leyla finds happiness in the end, though it takes hardwork, pain, and hope and kindness.

Chapter by Chapter Summary

 * Please Note: For the first half of the book, the main characters is called "Laleena." Laleena's name is changed to "Leyla" half-way through the book. The book is written in first person point of view, so the main character's name is not given until her name is changed. The following summaries will address the characters as "Laleena' until her name is changed.

Chapter 1: Georgia
In the first chapter, Laleena describes how her father's disappearance changed the family, and how he disappeared. Her father, Aslan, was a famous artist in Georgia. Aslan would paint pieces for orthodox churches. Laleena ponders how her father's painting is contradicitory to his Muslim faith, but now understands how important being an artist was to him. Cengiz, Leyla's brother, and Laleena were taught calligraphy, the Arabic alphabet, and the Mkhedruli language by their father. But, their father also taught them to paint. When the wars came, their father joind as a war painter to record the battle scences. That last image of her father's departure, slowly disappearing over the hill, is permanently etched in Leyla's mind. His small figure in the distance reminded Leyla of Cengiz's toy soliders. Somtimes, she'll put them in the palm of her hand and pretend it was her father. Even when the war ended, he didn't come home. Aslan was counted among the missing, and, though no one said anything, everyone in the family feared the worse.

Chapter 2: The First Tulips
When Aslan left, the family made the garden even larger, growing flowers and vegetables. They would have enough vegetables to live off, but would sell or trade the surplus, which Cengiz and Laleena took to the market. Laleena had a private flower patch of her favorite flower, tulips. Cengiz explains that the word "tulip" mean "turban." Laleena remembers when she first saw a tulip on the first spring since her father's disappearance. While walking to get water from a well, Cengiz and Laleena became lost and discovered a massive field full of purple tulips. While thinking about the flowers, Laleena asked Cengiz whether he thought their father would ever come back. Cengiz didn't say anything, but gave the impression that he didn't believe he ever would. Fearful, Laleena asks what will happen since the family is stretched very thin, money wise. The family is too proud to accept charity, and Cengiz says he plans to join the army. Laleena rebukes him, and he says the only option is to find an old, rich husband for Laleena. He syas this jokingly, but they both knew it would come to this. Cengiz asks if Laleena thinks she can grow these tulips, since she has the "magic touch." Laleena agrees to try, and they both grab as many bulbs as they could. Cengiz and Laleena plant them, and hope for tulips next spring. However, neither Cengiz or Laleena ever again mentioned their father.

Chapter 3: Growing Tulips
Winter was an extremely rough time for Leyla and her family. They had little food and firewood. Leyla's mother becomes gaunt and sickly, and the twins are growing steadily but are very hungry. So is Leyla, though she tries not to complain. Though the winter is horrid, the family pulls through. When spring comes, the tulips start blooming. Leyla and Cengiz are shocked to see that the purple tulips bulbs grew different colored tulips - all the colors of the rainbow. Even Leyla's and Cengiz's mother smiled for a bit when she sees all the bright colors. Leyla wonders why the colors change, and starts drawing and sketching her tulips with charcoal and watercolors. She recalls her father saying, "Manifest the gift that is given to you."

As news of the flowers spread, the village comes to see them. One person in particular is a scribe named Ilia. He gives a wonderful history of the plants. He recalls how the Dutch got bankrupt because of their passion for tulips. Some tulips are extremely valuable. Ilia tells Leyla of their value, saying, "In İstanbul, the Ottoman capital, people breed and cross the bulbs and sell them for unthinkable prices. For example, one variety bought two wagon loads of wheat, four loads of rye, four fat oxen, twelve fat sheep, four barrels of raki, two barrels of butter, one thousand pounds of cheese,... and a sizable wagon to haul it all away. All this for just one tulip."

Leyla grows immensely in respect for tulips. She asks what types of tulips they grow in İstanbul. Ilia responds, saying they grow in every color and size imaginable, however, no one has ever been able to come up with the coveted black tulip. He admires Leyla's tulips and says he thinks she might have the "tulip touch." Leyla gives her brother, Cengiz, some credit as well. The neighbors become jealous and realize that they should have thought of breeding the tulips. They strip the hills of the bulbs.

Cengiz and Leyla try cross-breeding the tulips to make unusual ones, specifically the dark ones to make an even darker tulip. The family still struggles though, with a leaky roof, no decent shoes, and because of the weather, a poor vegetable patch. Cengiz and Leyla start worrying even more about their mother and Leyla tries to think of a plan that will help her mother and family.

Chapter 4: The Strangers
In chapter 4, Cengiz and Laleena went into the forest with the other children in the village for the annual mushroom hunt. Laleena recalls her mother telling them how hard it was to find your first mushroom, but once you did, others would start appearing rapidly.

Then and Now: A Girl's Life
The "Then and Now" section is like the "Looking Back" section in the historical characters books. The "Then and Now" section addresses:


 * The Size of the Ottoman Empire
 * A Brief Description of Topkapi
 * The Slave Trade
 * The Life of a Girl in the Harem
 * Fashion
 * Islamic Customs
 * The "Tulip Era"
 * Women in Turkey History
 * Tukey Today

Glossary
The glossary consists of seven pages with Turkish words listed on it that were used in the book. The word, pronunciation, and definiton is given. There is a note that reads, "...these pronunciations and some spellings are only approximate." The reason given for this is because Turkish borrows sounds from Persian, French and Arabic.

Items Associated with Leyla: The Black Tulip

 * Leyla Doll