Arab Folktales (Pantheon Fairy Tale & Folklore Library)

I love to collect fairy tales and folk tales both for my own interest and for my children, and this is a rare example that works for both! I can learn more about Arab folklore and also read aloud to my children (they were riveted by "Flowers that Vanished in the Night")! My only warning for casual readers is that like most faithful folktale translations, there is racism and other bigotry in this one. I choose to alter or skip these parts for my kids, but adult readers should be aware of this content and approach the stories with maturity.

I was kind of disappointed that no tales from Ahwaz/Arabistan were there. Ahwaz the land of the Arabian golden age, the land that the Ottomans and Safawids could not conquer and the land that beat the Persian empire's ego. overall great gem to add to your library. and I'm very pleased to find it, If you're interested in the arts of Arabian oral story telling, folktales, culture etc ,you'll find it amusing. A great read for all ages and you can just pick any random page and read a Hikaya/Story for your kid or yourself. The cover could have been better though (I ordered a paperback).

this is one of those books I could not put down and I only did to make sure I savor it. My favorite section stories of wily women. It was as if Tsun Tzu (Art of War) was directing them to overcome their challenges!

Great collection of folk tales.

Just in case you didn't get enough of 1001 Nights, in this volume Inea Bushnaq has collected a number of Arab folktales from across the Middle East. The stories are divided into sections such as religious teaching and love and romance, with each section preceded by a short introduction which contains important cultural information, such as the fame of Djuha as a stock character or women in the Bedouin tribe. Anyone into folklore or the Middle East in general would enjoy this book.