A Fistful of Pearls and Other Tales from Iraq - Softcover

Elizabeth Laird

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1845076419 ISBN 13: 9781845076412

Publisher: Frances Lincoln Childrens Books, 2008

Synopsis

Secret serpents, devilish demons, mysterious magicians – the folk tales of Iraq teem with otherworldly creatures, magic and earthy humour. Award-winning novelist Elizabeth Laird has gathered together the very best Iraqi stories during her time in the Middle East – 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 inside which lurks a marriageable daughter. Meticulously researched and elegantly retold, the stories reveal the true, traditional heart of Iraq, far removed from today's news headlines.

About this title

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. || The wonder of this collection resides in the background details of the animals and in the language that Elizabeth Laird uses in theseretellings. They make the stories seem refreshingly different and new-found, even though their origins are far in the past. || A Fistful of Pearls is enchanting. Its baddies are wolves and theives; its stories are fabulous, and they are just the right length. Its tone is ideal for reading aloud, and perhaps this, more than real baddies and fewer pictures, will encouage children to read for themselves. And bedtime stories from Iraq can surely remind us that some innocence is worth preserving when some real-life baddies are plentiful enough. || Today’ s children may have a limited view of anything labelled Iraq, and this delightful collection of nine folk tales could do much to offer them an alternative picture of a gentle culture in which lessons about being kind and forgiving rather than greedy, selfish or envious can be learned through the activities of caliphs and princes, and of magic and talking animals || Elizabeth Laird makes her contribution towards the process of the country's restoration and reminds us of some of the qualities that are unique to Iraq's literary tradition. The tales contain plenty of humour, and a sprinkling of magic. They are a pleasure to read.

About the Author:

Elizabeth Laird is the renowned author of Kiss the Dust, The Garbage King and A Little Piece of Ground. She has been shortlisted five times for the Carnegie Medal. She has a longstanding interest in Persian literature and has travelled extensively throughout the Middle East. Her other books for Frances Lincoln are Pea Boy: Stories from Iran, A Fistful of Pearls: Stories from Iraq, and The Ogress and the Snake: Stories from Somalia. Elizabeth divides her time between London and Edinburgh.

Shelley Fowles was born in South Africa. Her books include The Bachelor and the Bean, winner of the U.S. Maron Vannett Ridgway Honor Book Award 2004. She lives in east London.

To visit Shelley Fowles' website click here

About this edition

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