About this item
Highlights
- 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.
- 3-7 Years
- 8.5" x 11.0" Paperback
- 42 Pages
- Juvenile Fiction, Humorous Stories
- Series Name: Teaching Stories
Description
About the Book
In this humorous tale, a man greedily and impatiently hopes to acquire the skills and senses of an animal but ends up limiting his abilities rather than enhancing them.
Book Synopsis
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 philosopher and educator Idries Shah, whose collections of narratives and teaching stories have captivated the hearts and minds of people from all walks of life. It belongs to a rich storytelling tradition from Afghanistan, Central Asia and the Middle East that is more than 1,000 years old. These stories are not only entertaining; they are designed specifically to foster thinking skills and perception. They suggest, in their structure and in the movement of their characters, ways of looking at difficulties that can help solve them. Among other things, this simple story shows children how a blind impulse to "win," without considering the consequences, can end up having the opposite effect.
Review Quotes
2022 "Hot off the Press" Selection - Children's Book Council (U.S.)
"Two new ... bilingual picture book treasures for young readers. ... Both of these simply outstanding bilingual picture books are especially and unreservedly recommended for family, daycare center, preschool, elementary school, and community library collections for children ages 3-8." - Children's Bookwatch (U.S.) [in a dual review of two books by Idries Shah: Oinkink and The Bird's Relative]
"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.)
"... they not only entertain, but can be understood on many different levels and provide a form of 'nourishment for the brain' that can help develop thinking abilities and perceptions." - Multicultural Perspectives: An Official Journal of the National Association for Multicultural Education (U.S.)