Books in the Teaching Stories series

Two hundred and fifty years ago, the Great King Ahmad Shah Durrani ruled Afghanistan, and from there, a magnificent empire extending 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 loved by his people as an outstanding general and a just and wise ruler. But the King was troubled – all kinds of problems threatened his kingdom – and he realized he needed to find at least one person with the qualities necessary to help him. But how does one find such a person? Among other things, this story provides a framework through which young readers can consider and discuss the qualities one needs to live a useful and happy life. Additional pages include a biography of Ahmad Shah, a map of the Durrani Empire, and suggested discussion points.

When the good-natured Share the Lion, King of all the animals, sees his reflection in a pool of water, he gasps at the fierce creature staring back at him. He is too frightened to drink, until finally, he learns to overcome his fear. Children learn through Share how to deal positively with the fears and inhibitions that so often arise from situations they may not yet understand. This is one of a series of stories collected by Idries Shah – a Teaching-Story – used for hundreds of years in the East as an educational instrument to help children understand life. This story was originally told by the 13th century Sufi poet Jalaluddin Rumi. Ingrid Rodriguez's beautiful illustrations bring the story to life with warmth and humor and a distinctive richness of detail. Als der gutmütige Löwe Share, der König aller Tiere, sein Spiegelbild im Wasser eines Tümpel sieht, verschlägt es ihm beim Anblick des Wesens, das ihn ansieht, den Atem. Er fürchtet sich zu sehr, um zu trinken, bis er schließlich lernt, seine Angst zu überwinden. Durch das Erlebnis von Share, dem Löwen, können Kinder lernen, mit ihren Ängsten, deren Ursprünge sie vielleicht noch nicht verstehen, positiv umzugehen. Diese Fabel gehört zu einer Reihe von Lehrgeschichten, die von Idries Shah gesammelt wurden. Diese Geschichten dienen im Osten schon seit Hunderten von Jahren als pädagogische Werkzeuge und sollen Kindern helfen, das Leben besser zu verstehen. Die ursprüngliche Version dieser Geschichte stammt von Jalaluddin Rumi, einem Sufi-Dichter aus dem 13. Jahrhundert. Die wunderschönen, humorvollen Illustrationen von Ingrid Rodriguez zeichnen sich durch ihr Detail, ihre Lebendigkeit und Wärme aus.

The Stranger's Farewell is a very old story which has entertained people all over the world for hundreds of years. When an ancient traveler stops at the home of a young couple to ask for a glass of water and a place to rest, they invite him to share their meal. As we all know, small actions sometimes have large consequences: as the stranger leaves to go on his way, he says, "May the next thing you do last until you say, 'Enough'." These parting words reward their generosity in an amazing way. News of the young couple's changed status travels fast and prompts a greedy merchant to seek out the stranger in the hope of gaining a similar reward for himself. But, of course, the result for him is very different. This story can teach us – in a very assessable way – something about the nature of giving and receiving. This tale is set in Afghanistan where it is known by many people. This setting effectively introduces children to a culture and people who may be unfamiliar to them. The story is retold here for young people by the Afghan storyteller and teacher Palwasha Bazger Salam and beautifully illustrated by Marie Lafrance. Der Abschiedsgruß des Fremden ist ein sehr altes Märchen, das Menschen auf der ganzen Welt schon seit Jahrhunderten unterhält. Als ein Reisender im Haus eines jungen Paares um ein Glas Wasser und einen Platz zum Ausruhen bittet, laden ihn die junge Leute zu einer Mahlzeit ein. Wie wir ja alle wissen, haben kleine Taten manchmal große Folgen. Als der Fremde sie verlässt, um seine Reise fortzusetzen, sagt er: „Möge das, was ihr als nächstes tut, so lange dauern, bis ihr ‚genug’ sagt.“ Diese Abschiedsworte belohnen ihre Großzügigkeit auf erstaunliche Weise. Die Neuigkeit über die veränderten Umstände des jungen Paares spricht sich schnell herum und bringt einen gierigen Kaufmann dazu, den Fremden mit der Hoffnung aufzusuchen, eine ähnliche Belohnung zu erhalten. Aber natürlich ist das Ergebnis für ihn ein ganz anderes. Diese Geschichte kann uns auf sehr klare und einfache Weise dazu anregen, über die Natur des Gebens und Nehmens nachzudenken. Der Schauplatz dieses Märchens ist Afghanistan, wo es weit verbreitet und sehr bekannt ist. Junge Leser gewinnen Einblicke in eine andere Kultur und ein Volk, mit dem sie vielleicht nicht vertraut sind. Das Märchen wird hier von der afghanischen Geschichtenerzählerin und Pädagogin Palwasha Bazger Salam für junge Leser neu erzählt und ist von Marie Lafrance wunderschön illustriert.

(Bilingual English-Spanish edition / Edici├│n biling├╝e ingl├⌐s-espa├▒ol) On the day a boy is born, his parents are visited by a wise man who tells them, "This is a very, very important boy, and I''m going to give him something marvelous one day, but I will have to give him his name first. So please don''t give him a name yet." So they named the boy Benaam, which means "nameless." The story tells how he seeks and eventually finds his own true name, and how he also gives away an old dream that he doesn''t want - and gets a wonderful new dream. This is one of an illustrated series of Sufi teaching stories from the Middle East and Central Asia that were collected and adapted for children by Idries Shah, and that have captivated hearts and minds for more than a thousand years. The stories are designed to help children learn to examine their assumptions and to think for themselves. Among the many insights The Boy Without a Name can provoke is the idea that it takes patience and resolve to achieve one''s goals in life. Mona Caron''s beautiful watercolor illustrations embellish this unusual and captivating story, presenting the wonder of this hidden world to both children and adults.El d├¡a que nace el ni├▒o, un sabio visita a sus padres y les dice: "Este es un ni├▒o muy, muy importante, y un d├¡a le voy a dar algo maravilloso, pero tendr├⌐ que darle su nombre primero. As├¡ que, por favor, no le deis un nombre todav├¡a." Por lo tanto, llamaron al ni├▒o Benaam, que significa "sin nombre." Esta historia cuenta c├│mo el ni├▒o busca y finalmente encuentra su nombre verdadero, y c├│mo regala un viejo sue├▒o que no quiere y obtiene otro nuevo y maravilloso. El cuento pertenece a la serie ilustrada de historias de ense├▒anza suf├¡es originarias del Medio Oriente y el Asia Central, que fueron recopiladas y adaptadas para ni├▒os por Idries Shah. Estas historias, que han cautivado corazones y mentes durante m├ís de mil a├▒os, est├ín dise├▒adas para ayudar a los ni├▒os a aprender a examinar sus suposiciones y a pensar por s├¡ mismos. Entre las muchas ideas que El ni├▒o sin nombre puede provocar est├í el concepto de que se necesita paciencia y determinaci├│n para lograr las metas de la vida. Las hermosas ilustraciones en acuarela de Mona Caron embellecen esta inusual historia presentando la maravilla de un mundo oculto tanto a ni├▒os como a adultos.

(Bilingual English-Spanish edition / Edici├│n biling├╝e ingl├⌐s-espa├▒ol) This story tells how a woman loses an apple down a hole in the ground and then makes a series of attempts to retrieve it. Children love chanting the action sequence of this cumulative tale from memory, but when the plot takes a sudden turn that''s contrary to all expectations, they also learn important lessons about the nature of problem solving and discovery. The strikingly beautiful illustrations by Rose Mary Santiago invoke the origins of the story - which comes from the Sufi tradition and has been told for hundreds of years in the Middle East and Central Asia - while at the same time lending a uniquely playful atmosphere to this very amusing tale.       Esta historia cuenta c├│mo una mujer pierde una manzana por un agujero en el suelo y luego hace una serie de intentos para recuperarla. A los ni├▒os les encanta recitar de memoria la secuencia de acciones de este cuento acumulativo, pero cuando la trama da un giro repentino que es contrario a todas las expectativas, tambi├⌐n aprenden lecciones importantes sobre la naturaleza de la resoluci├│n de problemas y el descubrimiento. Las ilustraciones sorprendentemente hermosas de Rose Mary Santiago invocan los or├¡genes de la historia - que proviene de la tradici├│n suf├¡ y se viene contando durante cientos de a├▒os en el Medio Oriente y Asia Central - mientras que al mismo tiempo dan un ambiente l├║dico ├║nico a este cuento tan divertido.

(Bilingual English-Spanish edition / Edici├│n biling├╝e ingl├⌐s-espa├▒ol) This is a delightful and humorous tale about a chicken who learns to speak as we do - with unexpected consequences. The surprising events that follow intrigue young children and, and at the same time, alert them in a very amusing way to the dangers of being too quick to believe everything they hear. Illustrator Jeff Jackson creates a lively and lighthearted world, rich in color and expression, in which anything can happen. This tale is one of the many hundreds of Sufi developmental stories collected by Idries Shah from oral and written sources in Central Asia and the Middle East. For more than a thousand years, it has entertained young people and helped foster in them the ability to examine their assumptions and to think for themselves.     Este es un cuento encantador y gracioso sobre un pollo que aprende a hablar como nosotros, con consecuencias inesperadas. Los sorprendentes eventos que siguen intrigan a los ni├▒os peque├▒os y, al mismo tiempo, los alertan de una manera muy divertida sobre los peligros de ser demasiado r├ípidos para creer todo lo que escuchan. El ilustrador Jeff Jackson crea un mundo alegre y divertido, rico en color y expresi├│n, en el que todo puede suceder. Este cuento es uno de los muchos cientos de historias de desarrollo suf├¡es recopiladas por Idries Shah de fuentes orales y escritas en Asia Central y Medio Oriente. Durante m├ís de mil a├▒os, ha entretenido a los j├│venes y les ha ayudado a fomentar la capacidad de examinar sus suposiciones y pensar por s├¡ mismos.