The Old Woman and the Eagle - La señora y el águila - (Teaching Stories) by Idries Shah (Paperback)

About the Book

An old woman encounters an eagle for the first time. Perplexed by its appearance, she changes it to suit her own ideas of what a bird should look like - a common pattern of human thought: altering the unfamiliar to make it acceptable.

Book Synopsis

(Bilingual English-Spanish edition / Edición bilingüe inglés-español) 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 specially presented for children by Afghan author Idries Shah, who, for more than 30 years, collected stories from the Sufi tradition and adapted them to contemporary Western culture. Told since ancient times throughout Central Asia and the Middle East, such tales are used to help foster greater mental flexibility and insight in people of all ages. The Old Woman and the Eagle is wonderfully illustrated by Natasha Delmar, who was taught to paint by her father, the celebrated classic Chinese painter Ng Yi-Ching.

En esta divertida historia, una señora se encuentra con un águila por primera vez. Perpleja por su apariencia desconocida, decide cambiarla para que se adapte a sus propias ideas sobre cómo debería verse un pájaro. Sus esfuerzos reflejan un patrón común del pensamiento humano: alterar lo desconocido para hacerlo aceptable. Este cuento ha sido presentado especialmente para niños por el autor afgano Idries Shah, quien, durante más de 30 años, recopiló historias de la tradición sufí y las adaptó a la cultura occidental contemporánea. Contados desde la antigüedad en Asia Central y Medio Oriente, estos cuentos se utilizan para ayudar a fomentar una mayor flexibilidad mental y comprensión en personas de todas las edades. La señora y el águila está maravillosamente ilustrada por Natasha Delmar, a quien su padre, el célebre pintor clásico chino Ng Yi-Ching, le enseñó a pintar.

Review Quotes

"... a timeless lesson for young children and for the adults reading to them." - Foreword Reviews (U.S.)

"A fine story ... very highly recommended." - Midwest Book Review (U.S.)

"Natasha Delmar's eye-catching color illustrations add a special touch to this wonderful story about learning to be open to new sights and things." - Midwest Book Review (U.S.)

"In this gloriously illustrated tale, an old woman grooms an eagle to represent what she thinks is a pigeon-the only type of bird with which she is familiar ... The classic story, packaged in an elegant design, will be a good addition to every collection." - Kirkus Reviews (U.S.)

"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.)

"... 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.)