The Boy Without a Name

by Idries Shah, Mona Caron (Illustrator)

A small boy seeks and eventually finds his own name and is able to discard an old dream for a new and wonderful one. On the day a boy is born, his parents receive a visit from a wise man who says, "This is a very, very important boy, and I'm going to give him something marvelous one day, but I will have to give him his name first. So please don't give him a name yet." The story tells how the boy seeks and eventually finds his own name – and also discards and an old dream he doesn't want for a wonderful new dream.This book is one of a series of illustrated Teaching-Stories by Idries Shah which of captivated hearts and minds for more than a thousand years. Among the many insights this story gives children is the idea that it takes patience and resolve to achieve one’s goals in life.Mona Caron's beautiful watercolor illustrations embellish this unusual and captivating story.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fiction, Spanish Literature, Islam

19 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2000

About the author

Idries Shah (Persian: ادریس شاه), also known as Idris Shah, né Sayed Idries el-Hashimi (Arabic: سيد إدريس هاشمي), was an author and teacher in the Sufi tradition who wrote over three dozen critically acclaimed books on topics ranging from psychology and spirituality to travelogues and culture studies.

Born in India, the descendant of a family of Afghan nobles, Shah grew up mainly in England. His early writings centred on magic and witchcraft. In 1960 he established a publishing house, Octagon Press, producing translations of Sufi classics as well as titles of his own. His most seminal work was The Sufis, which appeared in 1964 and was well received internationally. In 1965, Shah founded the Institute for Cultural Research, a London-based educational charity devoted to the study of human behaviour and culture. A similar organisation, the Institute for the Study of Human Knowledge (ISHK), exists in the United States, under the directorship of Stanford University psychology professor Robert Ornstein, whom Shah appointed as his deputy in the U.S.

In his writings, Shah presented Sufism as a universal form of wisdom that predated Islam. Emphasising that Sufism was not static but always adapted itself to the current time, place and people, he framed his teaching in Western psychological terms. Shah made extensive use of traditional teaching stories and parables, texts that contained multiple layers of meaning designed to trigger insight and self-reflection in the reader. He is perhaps best known for his collections of humorous Mulla Nasrudin stories.

Shah was at times criticised by orientalists who questioned his credentials and background. His role in the controversy surrounding a new translation of the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, published by his friend Robert Graves and his older brother Omar Ali-Shah, came in for particular scrutiny. However, he also had many notable defenders, chief among them the novelist Doris Lessing. Shah came to be recognised as a spokesman for Sufism in the West and lectured as a visiting professor at a number of Western universities. His works have played a significant part in presenting Sufism as a secular, individualistic form of spiritual wisdom.

Idries Shah's books on Sufism achieved considerable critical acclaim. He was the subject of a BBC documentary ("One Pair of Eyes") in 1969, and two of his works (The Way of the Sufi and Reflections) were chosen as "Outstanding Book of the Year" by the BBC's "The Critics" programme. Among other honours, Shah won six first prizes at the UNESCO World Book Year in 1973, and the Islamic scholar James Kritzeck, commenting on Shah's Tales of the Dervishes, said that it was "beautifully translated".
The reception of Shah's movement was also marked by much controversy. Some orientalists were hostile, in part because Shah presented classical Sufi writings as tools for self-development to be used by contemporary people, rather than as objects of historical study. L. P. Elwell-Sutton from Edinburgh University, Shah's fiercest critic, described his books as "trivial", replete with errors of fact, slovenly and inaccurate translations and even misspellings of Oriental names and words – "a muddle of platitudes, irrelevancies and plain mumbo-jumbo", adding for good measure that Shah had "a remarkable opinion of his own importance". Expressing amusement and amazement at the "sycophantic manner" of Shah's interlocutors in a BBC radio interview, Elwell-Sutton concluded that some Western intellectuals were "so desperate to find answers to the questions that baffle them, that, confronted with wisdom from 'the mysterious East,' they abandon their critical faculties and submit to brainwashing of the crudest kind". To Elwell-Sutton, Shah's Sufism belonged to the realm of "Pseudo-Sufism", "centred not on God but on man."

Doris Lessing, one of Shah's greatest defenders,stated in a 1981 interview: "I found Sufism as taught by Idries Shah, which claim

Reviews

[Candace · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Sufi teaching take about a little boy without a name. When he was born, the wise man told his parents not to name him because he was a very important boy. The parents called him Benaam, which means Nameless. One day Nameless asked his friend Anwar for a name. Anwar said all he had was his name. Besides, what would Nameless give him if he gave him his name? Nameless said a dream. They both decide to visit the wise man who greets them at the door. The wise man has a box with names and a box of dreams. Magical boxes. Nameless receives a name and both boys get new dreams.

The brilliant illustrations are beautifully rendered in full-page spreads. The tale teaches the importance of names and dreams, and patience. The text is written for middle grade readers.

[Sagar · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wonderful illustrations.

[Sincerae Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 for the story and 5 stars for the art. Time flies; I read another book by Idries Shah on Sufism about eight or nine years ago because of my interest and travels in Turkey and my love of Sufi poetry by one of the chief mystics and poets, Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Balkhi or as he is called Mevlana or Rumi for short.

I just happened across this book online after recommending the website to a student who is trying to improve her English and who told me she reads children books to help her to be more fluent.

I love the artwork. It's a nice short read for kids in both English and Spanish.

http://www.childrenslibrary.org/icdl/...

[Galib]

গল্পটার কাহিনী বুঝবার পারলাম না । :/

( লেখক কী বুঝাতে চেয়েছেন এখানে ?

**ছোটরা দু:সপ্ন দেখে । তিনি কি তাদের প্রেরনা দিতে চেয়েছেন, -যাতে তারা ভয় না পেয়ে , দু:সপ্নকে পিছনে ফেলে, সুন্দর কোনো সপ্ন কল্পনার রঙ্গে রাঙাতে পারে ? )

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nameless is a boy without a name. Before his parents could name him, a very wise man appeared and told them to not give their child a name. The boy is very important, the wise man said, and he would have to wait to get his name in future. But Nameless desperately wants a name and his journey to get that name will lead him to one of the greatest gifts he could ever get.

[Jensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

K-3 Folklore, e-book addition

The boy without a name is an Arabic folklore story that follows a nameless boy as he sets out to find his name, accompanied by his friend who is in search of a new dream. The story is written in both English and Spanish, with the two texts side by side, and would be a great story to feature in a bilingual classroom, or any classroom with Spanish speaking students.

Instructionally, this book could be used as part of a genre study of folklore stories. Students could be introduced to the book along with other folktales, and complete a class activity where we pick out similar characteristics between the books. This could help students learn to identify folklore when they read, and be part of a year long exploration of the different genres in literature. For younger classes, this book can be used to make a story map of beginning, middle and end parts of a story. It has a clear beginning, rising action and climax, and a clear ending. These types of stories are great for introducing students to the idea of story parts, and would be a fun option to do whole class activity with.

This was a wow book for me because of its cultural diversity, representing an Arabic tale in dual languages to make the text more accessible for all children. The story was also accompanied by great illustrations that really helped narrate and tell the story, even though they had a smaller area to be presented in due to the double amount of text found on each page. I loved the story progression, and always enjoy the element of magic and surrealism added into a children's book. I think many children will enjoy following the two boys on their magical journey to find a name and a dream.

[Krysta · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations are stunning with their bright colors, but I think the lack of clear moral will confuse and disappoint some readers. The boy ultimately gains a name and beautiful dreams, just by asking the same man who said his parents shouldn't name him. Usually tales like this seek to teach something. But, since this story seems to have no point, it barely comes across as a story.

[Panda Incognito · Rating 3 out of 5]

The plot of this Sufi folktale didn't make sense to me, but the illustrations are radiant.

[Protyasha]

অত্যন্ত সুন্দর অলংকরণ। কিন্তু কী যেন বুঝি নাই!

[İdil Alter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Binbir Gece tadında çocuk kitabı...

[Sisi · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Boy Without a Name is one of the digital texts I read this week. I found this title under the “Award Winning Books” section of the ICDL website. The book is on Chicago Public Library’s Recommended Titles. This text was published in 2007 and was originally written in Spanish but was translated into English. The text on the ICDL website is bilingual with English and Spanish words on every page. The story is set in a time long ago and in a country far away. The book never specifies the exact time and place. However, readers can make assumptions based on the illustrations. The illustrations are vibrant in the text and welcoming. The story is about a boy who was not given a name when he was born. This is because a wise man visited his family when he was born and said that he was special and should be given a name only by the wise man. The boy grew up without a name and his family members called him “Benaam,” which means “Nameless.” In the story, the boy went around and asked others to give him a name but they didn’t have one for him. Eventually, he stumbled upon the wise man’s home to ask him for a name. The wise man kept his promise and gave the boy a name. Along with his new name, came new and wonderful dreams.

The lesson behind the story, which students can take away, is that it takes patience and determination to achieve one’s dreams. The nameless boy was patient for many years to receive his name. He was determined to find his name and he was successful in the end. Not only did he receive a name, he received many wonderful dreams.

This book is appropriate as a read aloud for primary grades and possibly be studied in depth by intermediate grades. It can be used to teach about cultural differences of other countries, such as not having a name for so many years. Students can make comparisons between the boy’s experiences with their own. They can also dig deeper into the themes of patience and determination.

[ShaziaH · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Boy Without a Name by Idries Shah is a Sufi tale about patience. When a baby boy was born, his parents were visited by a wise man who shared that this boy is going to receive something special one day, but the wise man has to give the boy his name. The parents agreed, and called him Benaam, or Nameless. However, the wise man did not give the name yet. Growing impatient of not having a name, Nameless and a young boy arrange to exchange a name for a dream. They arrive at the wise man’s house to ask for this exchange. Nameless finally receives his name and they each receive a special dream. The story’s lesson is to have patience; when one has patience, good things will follow.

The story is available on the International Children’s Digital Library. They ebook contains intriguing illustrations that depict the characters, setting, and culture of the story. The ebook is written in English and Spanish. It was translated by Rita Wirkala. Both languages are written in the pages side by side. This addition makes it engaging for students as they are exposed to a different language. There is also an audiobook available on the site in both languages.

This digital story can be read in a primary grade classroom (K-2) as children will be interested to learn about what happens with the boy without a name and have a discussion about how they would feel about that. The lesson of this story is important for young children to learn about patience. Readers will be able to identify how Namless felt without having a name, how he had patience throughout his life, and what he received as a result. This is a great story to use to support young readers and writers identify character traits and development, problem, and solution.

[(NS) Dana · Rating 3 out of 5]

When two parents visit a wise man after having a boy they are told to not give their son a name. The wise man tells them that when he is older a name will be given. This story is about how the boy without a name searches on his own to find a name, and how he feels at the end of his search.

*This was a non-printed material found on International Digital Childre's Library

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Appropriate for young children to about 3rd grade. A Sufi teaching tale of a boy without a name who visits a wise man and acquires both a name and a wonderful dream.

[Christine Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Title: The Boy Without a Name
Author: Idrieis Shah
Illustrator: Mona Caron
Translator: Rita Wirkala:

Goodreads Star Rating: 2


Categories/Genres: IDCL/Folktale/Wonder tale/Fiction
Copyright date: 2000

Estimate of age level of interest: k-3

Estimate of reading level: 3


Brief Description: A young boy must be patient and wait until just the right time to be given his name as foretold by a wise man at his birth.

Identify at least 2 characteristics of this genre and subgenre and discuss how they appear in your book.
This selection is a beautifully illustrated Sufi folktale in picture book form that utilizes a variety of techniques to involve the reader. As a folktale, it followed the guidelines of a quick story with a simple plot of how a young boy gained his name and the eventual happy ending when he became known as Husni. As a picture book, the bright colors utilized by the illustrator Mona Caron connected the story to the Middle East and its Islamic roots in such a striking way, that I was more into the design than the story itself.


In what ways and how well does the book as a whole serve its intended audience?
While the book was beautifully illustrated, it was difficult to gain a sense of the moral of the story. The wise man said that the nameless boy was special but never explained why or the importance of this particular boy. Also, the idea of switching bad dreams for good ones didn’t appear to connect to the naming of a boy. Though meant to be a morality tale about “patience and resolve” according to the back of the book, I am not sure that young children would pick up on this connection without much prompting from the book leader.

Awards if any.

Citations for published reviews:

Booklist (December 1, 2000 (Vol. 97, No. 7))
School Library Journal (February 2001)

[Kenzie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found the book The Boy Without a Name from a list of International Children's books from the University of Maryland. The Boy Without a Name was written by Idries Shah, illustrated by Mona Caron, and translated by Rita Wirkala. This book was originally written in Spanish and then translated into English. I read this book online, and it had both English and Spanish words in the book. This story is about a boy who was not given a name when he was born because a wise old man told his parents not to give him a name quite yet. One day, the boy asked his friend to give him a name, and he would trade him his dream in return. With help from the wise old man, the boys were able to make this happen.
This book translated well and was easily understood by the reader. The illustrations were the original drawings and were two-page illustrations. This worked well as it allowed the English translation to be on one side and the original Spanish text to be on the other page.
This book would be a good read-aloud for students in early elementary school. It would also be a fun book to pair with a name activity at the beginning of the year for older students and talk about how the students got their names.

[Allie Outhouse · Rating 2 out of 5]

Despite the intricately dazzeling illustrations accurately depicting Middle Eastern culture, I didn't understand the plot.

*Spoiler Alert*
Why would a wise man deny a child a name for years only to provide that same child and his friend two boxes of names and dreams? I understand the thrilling wonder but the lack of explanation left me wary of a tale that encourages children to accept supposedly good gifts from complete strangers.

Regardless of my distaste for the plot in general, the illustrations are outstanding. The details of imagery and culture, the use of imagination and light, the vibrance of life in the depth of the illustrations makes the tale appear tangible - as if the scenes depicted could float off the page or the viewer could sink into them by accident. Truely a masterful work of art by Mona Caron.

[Jecenia Vera · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shah, Idries, et al.  El Nino Sin Nombre. Hoopoe Books, 2007. Shah does a great job of bringing a Middle Eastern folktale with the message of patience brings virtues to those who wait. This is a story of a nameless boy, who begins the search for his name with a friend. Shah and Caron really bring this story to life. I enjoyed the simplicity of the illustrations because they were clear and easy to follow. The color choice was soothing and fit the atmosphere of the folktale, especially because it has ties to middle eastern culture. The color choice enhanced the setting, brown tones and warm hues with pops of purple and turquoise helped bring the readers into the story and into Husni's hometown. I also like the fact that this picture book was written in four different languages (Spanish, English, Dari, and Pashto). I would recommend this book for children 7-9 because of the size of the text and because the central theme would be a little difficult to grasp for younger children since it is not explicitly stated and more implied.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Boy Without a Name by Idries Shah tells the story of a young boy who is born and a wise man tells his parents not to give him a name. As the boy grows up, he begins to become tired of not having a name. One day, the boy decides to take matters into his own hands and goes with his friend to visit the wise man. It is there that he discovers a name for himself and dreams for his future.
I would use the story in my classroom to teach about theme. The young boy shows perseverance, determination, and the ability to create his own destiny by taking matters into his own hands. This is a powerful message for my students to never give up on their own dreams. This is also a teachable moment by having students make predictions throughout the text based on their own schemas. There are many moments within the story that allow the reader to make their own inferences.

[Courtney S · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book takes place in the middle-east where two new parents are approached by a wise man who tells them not to name their child, and he will do great things. In the story the boy grows up and goes on a quest to find his own name, and at the end of the story, he finds the wise man who picks a name out of a hat. This story is about what's in a name, and what a name means, and whether or not it limits your abilities in your life. This book is full of colorful watercolor pictures with beautiful buildings and landmarks from the Middle Eastern culture. I recommend this book to a fifth grade reading level, and would be a good book to discuss culture and also names, and what a name means. I would use this book to study the history behind names and what different cultures views are behind names and their meanings.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about a boy that did not have a name when he was born. This situation can happens in some middle eastern or African countries. Usually it happens in tribes where people don’t have a name and just respond to a nickname and their neither know when they were born and their parents don’t event remember. It is a boon that makes you aware how other people deal with something so simple as having a name. In this case is the opposite.

[Christine Zandt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Idries Shah’s picture book, The Boy Without a Name, “belongs to a tradition of storytelling from the Middle East and Central Asia that is more than a thousand years old.” Parents of a newborn are told by a wise man to not name the child because he is a “very, very important boy.” Years later, “Benaam” (“Nameless”) and his friend, Anwar, take an insightful journey to visit the wise man.

Realistic illustrations by Mona Caron give the boys depth and character, elevating the tale. The pages at the wise man’s home are spectacular for their attention to detail and wealth of information. Maron has a gift for facial expressions that extends to the animals in the book as well. I would be happy just looking at the stunning images.

[KitaabWorld.com · Rating 5 out of 5]

This enchanting tale about a young boy whose parents are advised by a wise man not to give him a name. ‘Nameless’ yearns for a name and is willing to trade his dream with a friend for his name. A magical tale full of wonder sure to stir your imagination.

See other books in our Folktales from Islamic Traditions booklist here:
https://kitaabworld.com/blogs/news/fo...

[John Edward Handfoth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated, the Boy Without a Name is not only a fun and fascinating story with all the elements of a good fairy tale, but also contains Sufic teaching elements. Guaranteed to get repeat readings from young booklovers.

[Sierra Welsh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the illustrations and that the story was in both English and Spanish. The story had some cute moments like when the name jumped out of the box and crawled up his arm and into his ear. I think that the story could use a more clear theme.

[Kena F. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good book for English/Spanish readers to enjoy together. The best part is that the pictures aren't what you would expect in a book that's written in English and Spanish. A student would be able to see that there's multiple languages spoken in different parts of the world.

[pati · Rating 2 out of 5]

The illustrations are the redeeming feature of this book.

[Richa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations!

[Clivemichael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated, well told wonderful tale.

[Gerry Cullen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful story. The type of unusual tale that will have a young reader think about it long after reading it.