The royal treasure has been stolen, and not even Iran's finest diviners can locate the forty fortunes. When the King turns to Ahmed to find the treasure, Ahmed is certain that he will be thrown in prison. Yes, he was able to locate a missing ring, but that was pure luck, and he knows that he has no real fortunetelling skills. He has only forty days to find the forty fortunes. Will he find a way to locate the treasure-and save himself-before the time is up? This retelling of a traditional Iranian folktale, charged with humor and action, is paired with fabulous jewel-toned illustrations.
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
Grade 2-4-Ahmed's wife, Jamell, is not satisfied with her humble existence, and insists that her husband become a fortune-teller to earn more money. Ahmed reluctantly agrees and, through a stroke of luck, succeeds in solving the first problem put to him. When 40 treasure chests are stolen from the King and his diviners cannot determine the culprits, Ahmed is called in and threatened with life in prison should he fail. He buys some time by asking for 40 days, one for each thief. During that time, another stroke of luck allows him to discover the identity of the robbers, but it is Ahmed's ingenuity that brings the tale to its satisfying conclusion. Shepard's version of this story is a well-paced combination of humor and action. Watercolors in bright tones capture the amusing situations and accurately depict the setting. Shepard includes notes on his sources and other elements of the story. A reader's theater script and more information on divination and Iranian customs can be found at the author's Web site. A lively addition to folklore shelves.
Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
"Shepard's version of this story is a well-paced combination of humor and action. Watercolors in bright tones capture the amusing situations and accurately depict the setting. Shepard includes notes on his sources and other elements of the story. A reader's theater script and more information on divination and Iranian customs can be found at the author's Web site. A lively addition to folklore shelves." (School Library Journal )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Pleasant read and fun for the kids,
By working stiff (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Forty Fortunes: A Tale of Iran (Hardcover)
This book is colorfully illustrated with lots of funny looking characters and is set in an enchanting city. The book is a pleasant read for kids at bedtime and I recommend it.
It was a nice touch to see the page titled "how to say the names" with the phonetic equivalents written next to them - as we know many names can be mispronounced. However, it was disappointing to see that they made a typo on the phonetic equivalent word for IRAN! It says eer-ON instead of ee-RON. I hope they correct this mistake if there is a reprint.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great folk story from an ancient land,
By A Customer
This review is from: Forty Fortunes: A Tale of Iran (Hardcover)
Excellent English translation of the folk story. I have heard a couple of other versions of this story when I was growing up in Iran. It was a (very) pleasant surprise to see that the story has been translated. The illustrations are remarkable. You can see the old Persian architecture, the costumes, the robes and turbans, yet the characters are cartoonish and extremely funny. I hope to see more Persian folk stories by the author and illustrator.
5.0 out of 5 stars
For Adults and Students!,
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Forty Fortunes: A Tale of Iran (Hardcover)
This is a great story! Some adults that I shared the story with enjoyed the book a great deal and I look forward to using it in my classrooms!
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