Idries Shah spent much of his life collecting Sufi classical narratives and teaching stories from oral and written sources in the Middle East and Central Asia and publishing them in book form. The eleven tales he wrote especially for children are published by Hoopoe as beautifully illustrated books, all of which have been commended by Western educators and psychologists, the 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 and a positive representation of important but often misunderstood cultures, showing how much we have in common and what we can learn from each other. They acknowledge a child's individuality and uniqueness and encourage a sense of confidence, responsibility and purpose. Idries Shah machte es sich zur Lebensaufgabe, klassische Sufi-Erzahlungen und -Lehrgeschichten aus mundlich und schriftlich uberlieferten Quellen im Nahen und Mittleren Osten und Zentralasien zu sammeln und diese in Buchform zu veroeffentlichen. Shahs elf Geschichten fur Kinder - in sehr schoen illustrierten Buchern von Hoopoe herausgegeben - werden von westlichen Padagogen und Psychologen sowie von der US-Bibliothek des Kongresses, dem Radiosender National Public Radio und anderen Medien empfohlen, weil sie die sozial-emotionale Entwicklung sowie Denk- und Wahrnehmungsfahigkeiten bei Kindern wie auch Erwachsenen auf besondere Weise foerdern. Diese Geschichten, die schon seit Jahrhunderten erzahlt werden, handeln von universellen Themen und stellen wichtige - jedoch oft missverstandene - Kulturen positiv dar. Sie zeigen, wie viel Gemeinsames wir haben und wie wir voneinander lernen koennen. Bei dieser Art von Erzahlen wird jedes Kind als einzigartiges Individuum anerkannt und gerade dadurch koennen Selbstvertrauen, Verantwortlichkeit und Zielstrebigkeit ermutigt werden.
"""... this quirky, good-natured fable, with bright, aptly comical pictures, ably illustrates the maxim, It's important not to believe everything you hear."" - Booklist (U.S.) ""Set in the Middle East, Shah's retelling of a Sufi story sends a gentle message to readers: just because someone says it's so, does not make it so. ... With its simple language and repeating phrases, the story begs to be told, and Jackson's colorful pastel illustrations lend a zany accent to the antics."" - School Library Journal (U.S.) ""In this story, a talking chicken creates anxiety and disorder in a community until people realize that just because a bird can speak, marvelous though that may be, it doesn't mean the bird knows what it's talking about. Like other stories of its kind, this one uses the ancient Eastern technique of attributing common foibles to foolish characters, gently allowing readers to recognize their own gullibility ... it helps children to develop the habit of critical thinking."" - 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.) ""... a humorous tale that will intrigue young children and alert them to the dangers of being too gullible."" - Bookbird: A Journal of International Children's Literature ""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.) ""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.)"