A Fistful of Pearls and Other Tales from Iraq (Folktales from Around the World) - Softcover

Laird, Elizabeth

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1845076419 ISBN 13: 9781845076412

Publisher: Frances Lincoln Children's Books, 2008

Synopsis

Secret serpents, devilish demons, mysterious magicians — the folk tales of Iraq are filled with otherworldly creatures, enchantment, and earthy humor. During her time spent in the Middle East, award-winning novelist Elizabeth Laird gathered together the very best Iraqi stories, ranging from thieving porcupines who get their come-uppance to the hilarious tale of the chaos caused by a handsome stranger who knocks at a house harboring a marriageable daughter. Meticulously researched, these stories reveal the true, traditional heart of Iraq, far removed from today's news headlines.

About this title

About the Author:

Elizabeth Laird is the author of Red Sky in the Morning, The Garbage King, Crusade and Lost Riders. She has been shortlisted five times for the Carnegie Medal. She has traveled extensively throughout the Middle East, and her son lived for four years in Iran. She met her husband while travelling in India and they lived together in Iraq, Lebanon and Austria. Her other books for Frances Lincoln are A Fistful of Pearls: Stories from Iraq, Pea Boy, and The Ogress and the Snake: Stories from Ethiopia. Laird divides her time between London and Edinburgh.Shelley Fowles was born in South Africa. She is currently working on her M.A. in Illustration at the University of Brighton, specialising in folk and fairy tales. Her first book was The Bachelor and the Bean (Farrar, Straus & Giroux)

Review:

This delightful collection of nine Iraqi tales of varying length would be a pleasure to read aloud, with its vaariety of characters' voices and its clear and lively style. Laird's introduction paints a picture of Baghdad and Basra before the war, and of the simple huts and quiet villages in the countryside. Apart from being fine entertainment, these stories reveal a culture that it is a crime to destroy.

About this edition

• Publisher: Frances Lincoln Children's Books
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 1845076419
• ISBN 13: 9781845076412
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 96
• Illustrator: Fowles Shelley