??? ??? ?? ???? ??????? ???? ?? ?? ???? ?????? ?? ??? ???? ?? ????? ??? ?? ?? ??? ?? ?? ??? ???? ???? ?? ??? ???? ??? ??????? ?? ??? ?? ??? ?????? ??? ??????? ?? ??? ??? ??? ?? ???? ??? ???? ??? ?? ????? ???? ????????? ??? ???? ???? ?????? ???

???? ??? ?? ????? ?? ????? ?? ???? ?? ?? ?????? ?? ??? ?? ??? ???? ??????? ?? ?????? ???? ??? ??? ?? ????? ?? ???????? ?? ?????? ??? ?? ??? ?? ??? ???? ??????? ??? ?? ??? ?? ????? ?????? ???? ????? ????? ??? ?? ????? ????? ??? ??? ???? ???? ????? ?? ???? ????? ??? ???? ????? ?? ??? ??? ???? ?? ????? ???? ??? ?? ??? ????? ???? ?? ????? ??? ?? ??? ???

The Queen of Hich-Hich fails to follow the instructions given to her by Arif the Wise Man, and, as a result, gives birth to a half-boy. Neem makes himself complete by an act of cleverness, negotiation and compromise. This story helps children learn flexibility and perseverance.

For more than a thousand years this story has entertained young people and helped to foster in them the ability to examine their assumptions and to think for themselves. This tale is one of the many hundreds of Sufi developmental stories collected by Idries Shah from oral and written sources in Central Asia and the Middle East, presented here as one of a series of illustrated children's books.

Idries Shah spent much of his life collecting Sufi classical narratives and teaching stories from oral and written sources in the Middle East and Central Asia and publishing them in book form. The eleven tales he wrote especially for children are published by Hoopoe as beautifully illustrated books, all of which have been commended by Western educators and psychologists, the Library of Congress, National Public Radio and other media for their unique ability to foster social-emotional development, thinking skills and perception in children and adults alike. Told for centuries, these stories express universal themes and a positive representation of important but often misunderstood cultures, showing how much we have in common and what we can learn from each other. They acknowledge a child?s individuality and uniqueness and encourage a sense of confidence, responsibility and purpose.