The Boy Without a Name [Paperback]

Idries Shah (Author), Mona Caron (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2007

A boy seeks and eventually finds his own name and is able to discard an old dream for a new and wonderful one.

Among the many insights that this story introduces to children is the idea that it takes patience and resolve to achieve one's goals in life.

Beautiful watercolor illustrations by Mona Caron embellish this unusual story.

Ages 3 - 8

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

K-Gr 2-Ostensibly based on a Sufi legend, this story concerns a boy whose parents are instructed not to name him when he is born. A wise man tells them, "This is a very, very important boy-and I am going to give him something marvelous one day, but I will have to give him his name first." After some years, the youngster goes with his friend Anwar to see the wise man, with the hope that he can exchange an unwanted dream for a name. The wise man selects the name Husni out of a magic box and gives it to the boy, who then puts his unwanted dream in another box. Then the two friends each take a turn choosing from a third box, which is full of wonderful dreams. "And after that, forever and ever, Husni had a name-and the two boys-always had wonderful dreams." End of story. The point of this narrative is, at best, elusive. What is so important about the nameless boy? What are readers to make of the boxes of names and dreams? The lively and colorful artwork evokes the Middle Eastern setting, but doesn't help to answer these questions. Perhaps an extensive study of Sufism would enhance readers' understanding, but it is doubtful that this book on its own will make much sense to children or the adults who read it to them.-Miriam Lang Budin, Chappaqua Public Library, NY

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Ages 4-7. Nameless has grown up, well . . . nameless, owing to a wise man's visit on the day of his birth. He asks his friend Anwar for a name, but Anwar only has one name, and he can't afford to give it away. When the boys visit the wise man, he opens a magic box full of names, and one, "Husni," creeps into the nameless boy's ears. Anwar gets a gift, too: the wise man opens a box full of dreams, which enter both boys' ears giving them sweet dreams. The book is based on a great Islamic mystic's birth story, but the religious significance is set aside in favor of a broader message of peace and happiness. Unfortunately, the story fails to inform children why Husni remained Nameless for so long, and the illustrations lack the energy of Shah's telling. Even so, this is a satisfying bedtime story that will encourage pleasant dreams to drift into little ears. John Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Hoopoe Books (April 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1883536944
• ISBN-13: 978-1883536947
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 7.9 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #450,434 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My 4-year-old's favorite, July 16, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Boy Without a Name (Hardcover)

My 4-year-old got this book for her birthday and it's now her absolute favorite. This is the book she asks for it every night - which makes her dad and me happy because we love reading it. Who knows why, but I do know that the books and stories I loved most as a kid were just like this one - they invoked a sense of magic and fulfillment just beyond my everyday world that I knew in my heart of hearts I could aspire to. What more could we ask for in a book for our kids?

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderfully recounted and illustrated Sufi folktale., November 7, 2000

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Boy Without a Name (Hardcover)

In The Boy Without A Name, a young boy seeks and eventually finds his own name and is able to discard an old dream for a new and wonderful one. Highly recommended for personal, school and community library picturebook collections, The Boy Without A Name is an entertaining and thoughtful Sufi folktale which is wonderfully recounted by Idries Shah and marvelously illustrated with watercolor paintings by Mona Caron.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Childrens books by Idries Shah build mental agility, July 16, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Boy Without a Name (Hardcover)

Tragedies like Columbine are a wake-up call. It's clear that we need to provide our kids - especially boys - with tools to counter the violence and knee-jerk aggression ubiquitous in popular culture. These children's stories by Idries Shah are just this kind of tool. They're not preachy. They don't offer simplistic lessons or moral platitudes. They're more like exercises for "mental muscle groups" grossly underdeveloped in this culture: A strong sense of one's own value. Empathy. Flexibility in thinking and responding. Appreciating that not everyone is the same, not every outcome is predictable. Seeing that there are more than two sides to a situation. A sense that patience and perseverance can pay off, sometimes in unexpected ways. Not demanding easy answers. A sense that things are not always as they seem, that the viewpoint of "experts" - or even the whole community - is not always right. The experience of seeing something that even adults don't see, of creating clever solutions. The sense that taking positive action is possible and rewarding-even when one has to buck the tide. That help can come from where and when we least expect it. The sense that life has interesting "loose ends" for us to reflect on. And so much more. At least one of these books should be on every child's book shelf.