The Horn Book Guide

LITERATURE

Bilkan, Ali Fuat, Editor

Tales from Rumi: Mathnawi Selections for Young Readers

128 pp. | Light | March, 2008 | Trade ISBN 978-1-59784-124-5 $12.95

(4) 4-6 Translated by Jeannette Squires Okur. Illustrated by Erdinç Semen. These fables culled from the writings of thirteenth-century Persian poet Rumi stress virtue, good will, understanding, pragmatism, and respect for the human spirit. Like Aesop's, many of these tales involve animal characters whose actions instill reflective and moralistic interpretations of behavior and life. Each concludes with a moral. Unremarkable black-and-white sketches illustrate the text.

Reviewer: Rita Soltan