Fatima's life is beset with what seem to be disasters. Her journey leads her from Morocco to the Mediterranean, Egypt, Turkey and, finally, to China. It is in China that she realizes that what seemed at the time to be really unfortunate events were an integral part of her eventual fulfillment. This Teaching-Story is well known in Greek folklore, but this version is attributed to Sheikh Mohamed Jamaludin of Adrianople (modern-day Edirne) in Turkey who died in 1750. It was first published by Idries Shah in 1967 in his classic work, Tales of the Dervishes, Teaching-Stories of the Sufi Masters over the past thousand years. This book is filled with wonderful illustrations by Natasha Delmar. Taught to paint by her father, the celebrated classic Chinese painter Ng Yi-Ching, she captures Fatima's adventures with a wealth of detail and color. Using Middle Eastern and Chinese design, Delmar transports readers into the exotic worlds of Fatima's travels, in a way delightful to both young and old.

La vida de FAtima es una serie de eventos aparentemente desastrosos. Su viaje la lleva desde Marruecos al MediterrAneo, Egipto, TurquIa y, finalmente, a la China. Es en la China donde se da cuenta de que, aquellos sucesos que parecieron desafortunados en su momento, fueron una parte integral de su eventual Exito. Esta Historia de enseNanza es bien conocida en el folklore griego, pero esta versiOn se le atribuye al jeque Mohamed Jamaludin de AdrianOpolis (actual Edirne) en TurquIa, muerto en 1750.

Fatima's life seems beset by one disaster after another. Fatima finally realizes that what seemed to be disasters were really essential steps towards realizing her eventual fulfillment. A story of wisdom and depth, ideal as a bedtime story, it helps children understand the need for perseverance to reach their goals.