Amira

Amira is the main character, principal protagonist, and narrator of Andrea Davis Pinkney’s novel “The Red Pencil”. At twelve years old, Amira is a beautiful girl with big dreams, living in the Darfur region of Sudan. She is compared to a sparrow rising above the wheat by her father, and she relates to the sparrows, wanting to rise above mere farm work. Amira lives a happy and contented life with her mother, Muma, her father, Dando, and her younger sister, Leila. As Amira gets older, her portion of the farm chores increases, which she is not too happy about. However, she does them dutifully and out of love for her family. Amira escapes the drudgery of day to day life by drawing pictures in the sand. She treasures the gift of a twig from her father, and uses it to continue to draw pictures in the sand...