This book, and the next two volumes in the series, are perfect for reading to your children. I guarantee that you will find the experience highly enjoyable and your child will be left spellbound and hungry for more! All of the Hodja Stories have a little "twist" to them, an unexpected or thought provoking view of life. The stories themselves are ancient and have their roots in the Persian Empire of 2500 years ago. They are extremely popular in modern day Turkey and in the Middle East. There are some literal translations about but due to the complex language used they are difficult for young children to appreciate and fully understand. In these book the stories have been re-written in a simple form that Primary age children can understand and relate to but without distorting or watering down the story elements, or essential meaning, in a way. The stories rely on careful thought process and the child's application of lateral thinking to fully understand the hidden message within each story, Each volume contains carefully graded stories. The text for Volumes 2 and 3 has already been completed but I await illustrations drawn by the readers. It was great fun preparing the illustrations in Volume 1 but in later volumes I would like to include pictures drawn by the readers. Inside the volume are details of a competition which all readers are invited to enter. See the Competition page inside for full details! If their picture is chosen for inclusions in Volumes 2 or 3 they will win a free book containing their illustration, signed by the author! Email me at jhillman.hodja.stories@aol.com for further news and updates on the competition results and more books.