Henry portrays different religions with sensitivity. She treats the religious beliefs of both Moslems and Christians with respect but also shows that individuals sometimes misconstrue religious tenets. For example, the Sultan orders that his horses must observe the fast of Ramadan, where for a month Moslems neither eat nor drink from sunrise to sunset. Sham's mother dies after giving birth to him, probably because of the fast imposed on her. Parents and teachers will want to make sure that readers unfamiliar with Islam are aware that the Sultan's orders result from a misunderstanding of the religion and that they actually violate the religion's injunctions against cruelty to animals.

Henry's portrayal of various social classes develops her theme concerning the arbitrary nature of class distinctions based on who an individual's ancestors are. Kings, dukes, sultans, and other titled power holders are seen to be only as good...