Our books
The power of a story
A story can help children deal with difficult situations and give them something to hold onto. The very same story can, at the same time, stimulate a deeper understanding, as they become adults. In addition, these stories give children the opportunity to learn about other cultures and begin to understand what we share and what we can learn from each other. They can help our children understand human nature and encourage qualities such as self-reliance, the ability to overcome irrational fears, the willingness to engage in peaceful negotiation rather than violent confrontation, and much, much more.
Learning that lasts
Educators and psychologists recognise that the early years are critically important for our children. During these years, we want to provide them with the basic skills they need to encourage a lifelong love of learning and the habits of mind that will get them off to a rich start.
We want to help young learners develop skills that they can use to become successful as they continue in life and in their school careers. In order to do this, we need to use tools that encourage higher-level comprehension, promote social and emotional development, encourage empathy and conflict resolution, and enhance critical thinking. Above all, we need to engage in best-practice strategies that ensure that this critical learning is taking place.
One such tool is the Teaching-Story.
This booklet describes its unique qualities and discusses how current brain research views teaching stories as beneficial. It explores higher-level thinking skills, such as analogical and contextual thinking, and describes how these are enhanced by the careful use of these stories. We look at the value of open-ended questions. We see that social and emotional, as well as empathetic, benefits can be reaped when we use Teaching-Stories. And, finally, we examine strategies such as the use of meaningful repetition that will help us ensure our children’s successful use of this material.
A book in your own language
Kashfi’s Children and its sister non-profit US-based Hoopoe Books, work hard to promote multicultural education and understanding, and to reach educationally underserved populations. Which is why we publish our stories in a number of other languages, in addition to English.
Books that connect children across the world
Bilingual editions enable children and families to read wonderful stories in their own languages as well as in English or in the language of a host country, should they be displaced.
The tales that we tell are part of the rich storytelling tradition of Central Asia and the Middle East and have been told continuously for hundreds of years. They foster young reader’s self‐esteem and perception in a unique way, while focusing on universal themes such as problem-solving and overcoming difficulties – plus they are wonderfully entertaining. The combined text and illustrations encourage empathy and understanding between young readers throughout the world.
Kashfi’s Children’s titles
The bird’s relative
With illustrations by Tanja Stevanović.
A wealthy merchant’s prize possession is a beautiful bird. Believing that he loves the exotic creature too much to set it free, the merchant discovers that animals are sometimes better at learning by example than humans.
Children will learn that it is good to observe others in order to learn. And that sometimes the actions of others are not all that they first seem. Forty pages, full colour, available in paperback in English, English/Ukrainian, Polish/Ukrainian, English/Urdu, Dari/Pashto, English/Spanish.
Coming soon: German/Ukrainian, French/Ukrainian, Urdu/Sindhi, English/Hindi
The spoiled boy with the incredibly dry throat
With illustrations by Silvara Kossem.
When a little boy wakes up with a dry throat, those around him run about trying to work out what caused the condition. One by one, servants, doctors, and medical students try remedies that only complicate the situation and make the condition worse, ignoring what readers will see as the obvious solution.
This story illustrates in a very humorous way just how foolish people can be when they fail to consider a situation before springing into action. Forty pages, full colour, available in paperback in English, English/Ukrainian, Polish/Ukrainian, English/Urdu, Dari/Pashto, English/Spanish.
Coming soon: German/Ukrainian, French/Ukrainian, Urdu/Sindhi, English/Hindi
Oinkink
With illustrations by Laetitia Bermejo.
A man who greedily hopes to have the skills and senses of a different animal is so impatient to have his wish granted that he finds himself limiting his abilities, rather than enhancing them.
Among other things, this simple story shows children how a blind impulse to ‘win’ without considering the consequences can end in the opposite effect. Forty pages, full colour, available in paperback in English, English/Ukrainian, Polish/Ukrainian, English/Urdu, Dari/Pashto, English/Spanish.
Coming soon: German/Ukrainian, French/Ukrainian, Urdu/Sindhi, English/Hindi
For more dual language children’s books see Hoopoe’s full catalogue
