This unique and diverse selection of traditional folktales from the countries of the Arabian Peninsula appeals to a broad audience, ranging from storytellers and educators to folklorists and scholars. A unique compilation of stories, Folktales from the Arabian Peninsula includes tales from seven countries: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Coauthored by a renowned folklorist and a professor of education who recalls some of these poignant tales from her own childhood, the book opens with a discussion of the Arabian Peninsula that introduces each country and discusses its terrain, peoples, and current situation to provide important background information. The engaging stories that follow will serve elementary, junior high, and high school librarians as well as public librarians, professional storytellers, and folklorists. The tales themselves—many of which have never been published in English language children's collections—are appropriate for readers grades five and up.

This unique and diverse selection of traditional folktales from the countries of the Arabian Peninsula appeals to a broad audience, ranging from storytellers and educators to folklorists and scholars. A unique compilation of stories, Folktales from the Arabian Peninsula includes tales from seven countries: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Coauthored by a renowned folklorist and a professor of education who recalls some of these poignant tales from her own childhood, the book opens with a discussion of the Arabian Peninsula that introduces each country and discusses its terrain, peoples, and current situation to provide important background information. The engaging stories that follow will serve elementary, junior high, and high school librarians as well as public librarians, professional storytellers, and folklorists. The tales themselves—many of which have never been published in English language children's collections—are appropriate for readers grades five and up.

In this book Hasan M. El-Shamy has gathered the first authentic new collection of modern Egyptian folk narratives to appear in nearly a century. El-Shamy's English translations of these orally presented stories not only preserve their spirit, but give Middle Eastern lore the scholarly attention it has long deserved. "This collection of seventy recently collected Egyptian tales is a major contribution to African studies and to international distribution studies of folktales. In the face of the recent anthropological trend to use folkloric materials for extra-folkloric purposes, the preeminence of the text must be asserted once more, and these are obviously authentic, straightforwardly translated, fully documented as to date of collection and social category of informant, and for all that . . . readable."—Daniel J. Crowley, Research in African Literatures "Western knowledge of virtually all facets of contemporary Egyptian culture, much less the roots of that culture, is woefully inadequate. By providing an interesting, varied, and readable collection of Egyptian folktales and offering clear and sensible accounts of their background and meaning, this book renders a valuable service indeed."—Kenneth J. Perkins, International Journal of Oral History

From mischievous goats to magical fish, this book offers readers a diverse and delightful collection of illustrated folk tales from the Middle East that will appeal to children. The book represents the culmination of a collaborative project that sought to collect, preserve, and represent traditional folk tales. The tales were collected by students at Qatar University, and were illustrated by art and design students at Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar. The collection bridges the past and present through illustrations that engage the imaginations of contemporary readers while also presenting a variety of fascinating tales that enliven local histories. The Donkey Lady and Other Tales from the Arabian Gulf preserves a regional culture while also serving as an introduction to the visual arts for young audiences. These timeless and beautifully rendered tales will be of interest to readers of all ages, and are especially relevant to those interested in folk tales and lore, as well as graphic and children's literature. *** "This collection of folktales depicts the classic struggle of good and evil. Kindness and cleverness are rewarded, and arrogance leads to its own destruction, but sometimes the story takes a twist you won't quite expect. Ranging from subtle to striking, a unique illustrative style accompanies every story." - Skipping Stones, Bookshelf, Sept-Oct 2013 *** "This anthology is a delightful collection of children's folktales of the Arabian Gulf region. Its stories are beautifully rendered into English and should be of interest to readers of all ages." - World Literature Today, November 2013

This book explores rock art localities all across Saudi Arabia, describing them in detail and providing a chronology for them. The text is written for a broad audience and the book contains a large quantity of high quality photographs. Author: Sandra L. Olsen, Photographs by Richard T. Bryant.

Provides background on Arab culture; discusses and presents examples of Arab verbal, musical, and material arts as well as customs and traditions; presents approaches to Arab folklore scholarship; and includes several further reading lists.