The Magic Horse: English-Arabic Edition (Hoopoe Teaching-Stories)

(Bilingual English-Arabic edition) This is the story of two brothers: one skilled in the practical arts and the other Prince Tambal considered by most people to be only a dreamer. Their father the king announces a competition to produce interesting and useful devices. The entry produced by a woodcarver appears to be only a simple wooden horse of little value but when Tambal looks more closely he discovers that its able to magically travel to whatever place is in its riders mind. With the help of this magic horse Tambal comes to learn a great many things and eventually to know his hearts desire. Julie Freemans beautiful illustrations capture the magic of this tale with the images and text inset in rich borders of oriental patterns. The Magic Horse 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. In the Sufi tradition there is a continuum between the childrens story the entertainment or folklore story and the instructional or instrumental story. A story can help children deal with difficult situations and give them something to hold on to but it can also stimulate a deeper understanding in adults. Through the instrumental function of this rich body of material readers of all ages can learn to develop the capacity to be more flexible and to understand many more things about themselves and about life.