Fatima the Spinner and the Tent (Biligual ed.)
This is the ninth book in the series of traditional stories for children retold by the Afghan author Idries Shah. In this tale Fatima’s life is beset with what seem to be disasters. Her journey leads her from Morocco to the Mediterranean, Egypt, Turkey and, finally, to China. It is in China that she realizes …
Neem the Half-Boy (Bilingual ed.)
Because she fails to follow the precise instructions given to her by Arif the Wise Man, the Queen of Hich-Hich gives birth to a half-boy. How this happens and how Prince Neem, the half-boy, becomes whole is a story that has been told and retold in Central Asia and the Middle East for more than …
Oinkink: English-Ukrainian Edition
In this very humorous tale, a man greedily hopes to have the skills and senses of a different animal but is so impatient to have his wish granted that he finds himself limiting his abilities, rather than enhancing them. This is one of a series of illustrated books for the young written by the Afghan …
The Bird’s Relative: English-Ukrainian Edition
A wealthy merchant’s prize possession is a beautiful bird. Believing that he loves the exotic creature too much to set it free, the merchant discovers that animals are sometimes better at learning by example than humans. This is one of a series of illustrated books for the young written by the Afghan philosopher and educator …
The Boy Without A Name (Bilingual ed.)
A small boy seeks and eventually finds his own name and is able to discard an old dream for a new and wonderful one. Among the many insights that this story introduces to children is the idea that it takes patience and resolve to achieve one’s goals in life. This is one of the many …
The Clever Boy and the Terrible, Dangerous Animal (Bilingual ed.)
When a boy visits another village, he is surprised to find the townspeople terrified of something that—just because they have not seen it before—they mistake for a terrible, dangerous animal. With his own knowledge and by demonstration, the boy helps them overcome their fears. This story is part of an oral tradition from the Middle …
The Farmer’s Wife (Bilingual ed.)
The Farmer’s Wife and how she retrieves an apple from a hole in the ground is one of the many Sufi tales for children. For over a thousand years it has entertained young people who join in the chant of this cumulative tale and, at the same time, learn its valuable lessons about the nature …
The Lion Who Saw Himself in the Water (Bilingual ed.)
A good-natured lion sees his reflection in a pool and gasps at the fierce creature staring back at him and is too frightened to drink. Children will learn through the lion how to deal positively with fears and inhibitions that so often arise from situations they as yet may not understand. Idries Shah’s collections of …
The Magic Horse (Bilingual ed.)
This is a tale of two princes and their destinies. Prince Hoshyar gains rank and fortune by supervising the construction of huge metallic fishes that perform wondrous tasks and bring riches to the people of his land. His brother, Prince Tambal, is interested only in a wooden horse that he obtains from a humble carpenter. …
The Man and the Fox (Bilingual ed.)
A man tricks a young fox into believing that he will give him a chicken.The fox gets trapped, but through ingenuity and perseverance he manages to escape. This story, which belongs to our rich and ancient storytelling tradition, is presented here as one of a series of illustrated books for the young, retold by the …
The Old Woman and the Eagle (Bilingual ed.)
In this amusing story, an old woman encounters an eagle for the first time. Perplexed by its unfamiliar appearance, she decides to change it to suit her own ideas of what a bird should look like. Her efforts mirror a common pattern of human thought: altering the unfamiliar to make it acceptable. This tale is …
The Palace of the Man in Blue (Bilingual ed.)
Four merchants stumble upon a magnificent palace, where events make them question their past experiences and assumptions. This tale shows that looks can be deceptive, and that there are deeper reasons to help others than we might assume. Bilingual English with Dutch, Spanish, Turkish or Ukrainian
The Silly Chicken (Bilingual ed.)
The Silly Chicken is a delightful tale of a chicken who learns to speak as we do. It is one of the many hundreds of traditional stories collected by Idries Shah from oral and written sources throughout this region. For more than a thousand years this story has entertained young people and helped to foster …
The Spoiled Boy with the Terribly Dry Throat (Bilingual ed.)
When a little boy wakes up with a dry throat, those around him run about trying to work out what caused the condition. One by one, servants, doctors, and medical students try remedies that only complicate the situation and make the condition worse, ignoring what readers will see as the obvious solution. This is one …
The Stranger’s Farewell (Bilingual ed.)
This is a very old story, one that has entertained people all over the world for hundreds of years. A stranger visits a young couple and later, a rich man. The results of his visits are very different and can teach the reader something about the nature of giving and receiving. The tale is set …
The Wisdom of Ahmad Shah (Bilingual ed.)
Some two hundred and fifty years ago the great King Ahmad Shah Durrani ruled Afghanistan. His magnificent empire extended from eastern Iran to northern India, and from the Amu Darya to the Indian Ocean. Known to his people as Ahmad Shah Baba (Ahmad Shah, our father), the king was an outstanding general and a just …