CHILDREN'S BOOKS
TEACHING STORIES
We’re thrilled to announce the launch of our next three children’s books, The Tale of the Sands, The Horrible Dib Dib, and After a Swim – all made possible thanks to generous donations. But these aren’t your garden-variety picture books. Funny, playful and hugely entertaining, they enshrine – in their characters, plots and imagery – patterns and relationships which increase our understanding, flexibility, and breadth of vision.
‘Idries Shah’s stories are…recommended to parents and children because they allow children to think on their own, learn problem-solving skills, predict the outcome of an action, and support the development of social and emotional attributes like empathy,’ says Ezra Hewing, Head of Education at the mental health charity, Suffolk Mind. The Magazine of the National Education Association (USA) adds that Idries Shah’s children’s books are drawn ‘from a rich tradition of storytelling from Central Asia and the Middle East. Stories told and retold to children, by campfire and candlelight, for more than a thousand years. Through repeated readings, these stories provoke fresh insight and more flexible thought in children.’
SAFIA SHAH, CHILDREN’S BOOKS PROJECT DIRECTOR
Safia is a writer, entrepreneur and former TV producer. She published her first book, Afghan Caravan, when she was in her early twenties and has since established herself as an accomplished short story writer. Her latest collection Twice Sifted focuses on stress-induced anxiety and the many ways in which it is manifested in the characters' lives. Safia has also met with considerable success in business. She and her husband, Ian, founded A. Gold in Spitalfields, a delicatessen selling traditional British products; they have since gone on to found an award-winning design workshop and cafe in Somerset where children use recycled materials to make wonderful creations of their own.
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