Why do snakes eat frogs? What makes a man-eating ghoul turn vegetarian? And how can a woman make a bored prince smile? The answers to these and many other questions can be found in this delicious anthology of Palestinian folk tales collected and retold by Sonia Nimr. A wry sense of humour runs through the characterful women, genial tricksters and mischievous animals who ma Why do snakes eat frogs? What makes a man-eating ghoul turn vegetarian? And how can a woman make a bored prince smile? The answers to these and many other questions can be found in this delicious anthology of Palestinian folk tales collected and retold by Sonia Nimr. A wry sense of humour runs through the characterful women, genial tricksters and mischievous animals who make an appearance. Sonia's upbeat storytelling, bubbling with wit and humour, will delight readers discovering for the first time the rich tradition of Palestinian storytelling.
Ghaddar the Ghoul and Other Palestinian Stories
Why do snakes eat frogs? What makes a man-eating ghoul turn vegetarian? And how can a woman make a bored prince smile? The answers to these and many other questions can be found in this delicious anthology of Palestinian folk tales collected and retold by Sonia Nimr. A wry sense of humour runs through the characterful women, genial tricksters and mischievous animals who ma Why do snakes eat frogs? What makes a man-eating ghoul turn vegetarian? And how can a woman make a bored prince smile? The answers to these and many other questions can be found in this delicious anthology of Palestinian folk tales collected and retold by Sonia Nimr. A wry sense of humour runs through the characterful women, genial tricksters and mischievous animals who make an appearance. Sonia's upbeat storytelling, bubbling with wit and humour, will delight readers discovering for the first time the rich tradition of Palestinian storytelling.
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Abigail –
The first volume in a new series of children's folklore collections being put out by the British publisher Frances Lincoln, Ghaddar the Ghoul contains nine stories taken from the Palestinian tradition. Retold by Sonia Nimr, a history professor at Birzeit University, who is also involved in storytelling for children, these tales reference many classic folktale conventions of the Middle East, from the presence and involvement of djinn in human affairs, to the all-important role of storytelling its The first volume in a new series of children's folklore collections being put out by the British publisher Frances Lincoln, Ghaddar the Ghoul contains nine stories taken from the Palestinian tradition. Retold by Sonia Nimr, a history professor at Birzeit University, who is also involved in storytelling for children, these tales reference many classic folktale conventions of the Middle East, from the presence and involvement of djinn in human affairs, to the all-important role of storytelling itself. Included are some epic-quest type tales, among them the titular Ghaddar the Ghoul, in which a young man named Ahmad journeys to the Valley of the Ghouls in order to confront the fearsome Ghaddar; or Dancing Jasmine, Singing Water, in which a brother's quest to provide his twin sister with all that she desires leads to their eventual reunion with their father. Also in this vein is Hasan and the Golden Feather, in which a prince sets out to "do something worthwhile" and prove himself worthy of the throne. Quite a few of the tales end in unexpectedly humorous ways, such as The Farmer Who Followed his Dream, in which a farmer finds that following your dream has its reward; Tanbouri's Clown, in which a seemingly indestructible pair of shoes helps to teach an old miser a lesson; and Stupid Salma, in which a husband learns that his wife is by no means the stupidest person in the world. The animal tale also makes an appearance, as the reader learns "why snakes eat frogs, why swallow has a fork in his tail and why mosquitoes can't sing" in How Swallow Tricked Snake; or discovers that those who swear falsely are always punished in Hungry Wolf and Crafty Fox. Finally, in my favorite tale of the collection, I Landed at the Prince's Party, the famed female storyteller archetype makes her appearance, weaving a story that begins and ends "with a lie." I enjoyed reading this short collection of tales, and believe that young readers would as well. The black and white illustrations by Hannah Shaw are engaging, though by no means extraordinary. The folklorist in me was very pleased, moreover, to discover that source notes were included at the end, a feature that is always helpful to those inclined to research further.
Anneke Alnatour –
Lovely collection of Palestinian stories that the whole family enjoyed... Nice illustrations and a nice variety.
Graham –
So, the 100th book in the reading challenge; a book that I found in a tiny bookshop in a back street of Winchester. How can you turn down a book that starts with Ghadddar the Ghoul and his magic three hairs, and then goes on to talk about dreams, magic horses and glowing feathers, dancing jasmine and singing water, the reasons for snakes eating frogs, foxes outwitting wolves, and the wonderfully surreal story that starts and ends with lies. Great for bedtime reading; great to have more stories t So, the 100th book in the reading challenge; a book that I found in a tiny bookshop in a back street of Winchester. How can you turn down a book that starts with Ghadddar the Ghoul and his magic three hairs, and then goes on to talk about dreams, magic horses and glowing feathers, dancing jasmine and singing water, the reasons for snakes eating frogs, foxes outwitting wolves, and the wonderfully surreal story that starts and ends with lies. Great for bedtime reading; great to have more stories to add to the repertoire.
Yumi Learner –
A couple of days ago I read this book. The book has a lot of mythologies from an Arabic country. When I read the stories, I felt very nostalgic because the mythologies and Japanese ones were so similar. They reminded me of my mom reading me a lot of Japanese stories when I was a kid. They also reminded me of me reading my daughter them. I like reading mythologies because they are always Falstaffian.
Alger Smythe-Hopkins –
A curated collection that (by design) is a careful selection of familiar child-friendly stories from a oral tradition that is generally earthy and more violent than cute and amusing. As a gentle introduction to folk tales this book serves the reader well, but anyone with a wider exposure will find these tales over familiar and missing the best parts, the parts that make these stories timeless.
Leonca –
A delightful, light-hearted collection full of heroes and humor. I especially enjoyed the stories featuring ghouls. It always cracks me up how quickly they turn from wanting to eat you alive to talking politely when you do something nice for them.
Aischa –
Cute. An nice little book of Palestinian stories. Cute size;cute illustrations.
Shaun –
Fun stuff. Folk tales from other cultures is always a blast to read. The only real problem I have with this collection is that it's too short. Fun stuff. Folk tales from other cultures is always a blast to read. The only real problem I have with this collection is that it's too short.
Emma Reed –
This is a charming, interesting and easy read (designed for children) with nice illustrations and a witty tone.
Reham –
I already know most of the stories told, but never get to read them in such a book, in which they're written very beautifully and simply. I admire such works that help preserving our folk heritage. I already know most of the stories told, but never get to read them in such a book, in which they're written very beautifully and simply. I admire such works that help preserving our folk heritage.
محمد المحمود –
Bro_Pair أعرف –
Marwa Abdallah –
Riham –
Mark –
Bb Habibibi –
Readtolive –
Maria Antunes –
Zayneea –
Rachel Hartland –
Ali –
Yousef Hafez –
Mona Zaki –
E –
Shereen –
Alice –
Worthy –
Rory D –
Fanni Sütő –
Krista the Krazy Kataloguer –
Ali –
eRin –
Ahmed Hussien –
Shaun –
Miss Corene –
Jbondandrews –
Yasmin –
Sandy –
Lyra Belacqua –
tamerinst –
Matt –
Andrés Santiago –
Tzipora –
Soonha –
Ana Sun –
Ron –
Ola Jamous –
Assil –
Husam Abed –