Idries Shah spent much of his life collecting and publishing Sufi classical narratives and teaching stories from oral and written sources in the Middle East and Central Asia. The tales he retold especially for children are published by Hoopoe Books in beautifully illustrated editions and have been widely commended - by Western educators and psychologists, the U.S. Library of Congress, National Public Radio and other media - for their unique ability to foster social-emotional development, thinking skills and perception in children and adults alike. Told for centuries, these stories express universal themes from the cultures that produced them, showing how much we have in common and can learn from each other. As noted by reviewers, such stories are more than just entertaining; familiarity with them provokes flexibility of thought, since each one contains levels of meaning that unfold in accordance with an individual's experience and understanding.
"... an excellent example of a 'Teaching-Story' used to promote
critical thinking through the power of an entertaining tale." -
Foreword Reviews (U.S.)
"This fascinating tale will captivate young readers with its
suspenseful plot. Older readers can make connections with their own
lives and explore the deeper meanings of the concepts of
misfortune, opportunity, and ultimate happiness." - Denise Nessel,
Ph.D., Consultant and Director of Publications, National Urban
Alliance for Effective Education (U.S.)
"If you are looking for a book for all ages that all can take
something away from the reading, this just might be the book you
are looking for. While aimed at children ... there is definitely
more to it than that and even adults will find something to take
away from the experience." - Wisconsin (U.S.) Muslim Journal
"These teaching stories can be experienced on many levels. A child
may simply enjoy hearing them; an adult may analyze them in a more
sophisticated way. Both may eventually benefit from the lessons
within." - "All Things Considered," National Public Radio
(U.S.)
"They [teaching stories] suggest ways of looking at difficulties
that can help children solve problems calmly while, at the same
time, giving them fresh perspectives on these difficulties that
help them develop their cognitive abilities" - psychologist Robert
Ornstein, Ph.D., in his lecture "Teaching Stories and the Brain"
given at the U.S. Library of Congress
"Through repeated readings, these stories provoke fresh insight and
more flexible thought in children. Beautifully illustrated." - NEA
Today: The Magazine of the National Education Association
(U.S.)
"Shah's versatile and multilayered tales provoke fresh insight and
more flexible thought in children." - Bookbird: A Journal of
International Children's Literature
"These stories ... are not moralistic fables or parables, which aim
to indoctrinate, nor are they written only to amuse. Rather, they
are carefully designed to show effective ways of defining and
responding to common life experiences." - Denise Nessel, Ph.D.,
Senior Consultant with the National Urban Alliance for Effective
Education (U.S.), writing in Library Media Connection: The
Professional Magazine for School Library Media Specialists
(U.S.)
"These enchanting stories Shah has collected have a richness and
depth not often encountered in children's literature, and their
effect on minds young and old can be almost magical." -
Multicultural Perspectives: An Official Journal of the National
Association for Multicultural Education (U.S.)
"Shah has collected hundreds of Sufi tales, many of which are
teaching tales or instructional stories. In this tradition, the
line between stories for children and those for adults is not as
clear as it seems to be in Western cultures, and the lessons are
important for all generations." - School Library Journal (U.S.)
"... these are vibrant, engaging, universal stories...." -
Multicultural Perspectives: An Official Journal of the National
Association for Multicultural Education (U.S.)
"... a series of children's books that have captivated the hearts
and minds of people from all walks of life. The books are tales
from a rich tradition of story telling from Central Asia and the
Middle East. Stories told and retold to children, by campfire and
candlelight, for more than a thousand years." - NEA Today: The
Magazine of the National Education Association (U.S.)
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