The Enchanted Storks: A Tale of the Middle East

by Aaron Shepard, Alisher Dianov (Illustrator)

If favor now should greet my story, Allah must receive the glory. The beloved Calif of Bagdad and his trusted vizier are tricked into buying a magic snuffbox from an evil sorcerer that changes them into storks. But with the help of an enchanted princess, the Calif defeats his power-hungry brother and returns in triumph to his great and glorious city. This lyrically retold, spellbinding tale of the Middle East comes brilliantly to life in lavish, intricate watercolor paintings that mirror the richly detailed tapestries of the Middle East.

Genres: Picture Books

30 pages, Hardcover

First published December 31, 1995

About the author

Aaron Shepard is the author of many books, stories, and scripts for young people, as well as professional books and resources for writers and educators. He has also worked professionally in both storytelling and reader's theater, as a performer, director, and teacher trainer. Aaron's lively and meticulous retellings of folktales and other traditional literature have found homes with more than a dozen children's book publishers, large and small, and with the world's top children's literary magazines, winning him honors from the American Library Association, the New York Public Library, the Bank Street College of Education, the National Council for the Social Studies, and the American Folklore Society. His extensive Web site, visited by thousands of teachers and librarians each week, is known internationally as a prime resource for folktales, storytelling, and reader's theater, while his stories and scripts have been featured in textbooks from publishers worldwide, including Scholastic, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, SRA, The College Board, Pearson Education, National Geographic, Oxford University Press, Barron's, Hodder Education, and McGraw-Hill.

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

When the beloved Caliph of Bagdad, and his wise Vizier, Ali ben Manzar, are offered a beautiful snuff-box by an old peddler in the marketplace, the two men think nothing of it, only to discover that the snuff inside can transform them into storks. Ignoring his Vizier's warning, the Caliph insists that they sample the snuff, only to discover that the magical word - meant to reverse the spell - that is included, does not work. With the the Caliph's power-hungry brother, Omar, moving into the palace, and no way to communicate their plight, the two enchanted storks take to the distant forest. Will they ever regain their human form...?

This was an enjoyable tale, with many of the themes - enchanted people in animal form, designs on the throne by unscrupulous royal siblings - that will be familiar to readers with an interest in folklore. The accompanying illustrations by Russian artist Alisher Dianov are lovely: colorful, rich, and full of detail. I was fascinated to discover, in Aaron Shepard's brief afterword, that although this is a tale widely told in the Middle East, it first saw print in German fabulist Wilhelm Hauff's writing. All in all, definitely one I could recommend to young fairy and folk-tale lovers!

[Set · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love the illustrator but I didn't care for the story.

[Colin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully illustrated story for kids (I read it to my 6 and 8 year olds) set in Baghdad around the time of the Arabian Nights stories. We read it as we were doing a history unit on the medieval Middle East and the rise of Islam, to get some of the kind of stories from the region.

[Kami · Rating 5 out of 5]

My daughter and I both loved the pictures in this book and the story.