Singh, Rina.
Nearly Nonsense: Hoja Tales from Turkey.
Tundra Books 2011 48p 17.95
978-0-8877-6974-0 E-BNe
A collection of delightful and very wise tales. Nasrudin Hoja has a way of confronting everyday problems in a most unique way that will get you laughing and enjoying his wisdom. Excellent for read aloud. Nasrudin Hoja from Turkey lived a long time ago but his wisdom is still remembered because he always answered with good humor while teaching a lesson. His stories are funny, full of irony, and wisdom. One day Hoja lost his donkey and as his neighbors sympathies with him he answered that in his observation he considered himself a lucky man. If he had been riding the donkey then he would have been lost too!
Hoja never misses an opportunity to teach a lesson. I especially like the story of the Coat. In this story Hoja is invited to a feast but before the evening feast Hoja decides to work in his vineyard and is surprised how long it took him to finish the work. On his way home he saw his friends already on their way to the party so he decided to go to the party without bathing or changing his clothes. However, when he got there the smell coming off of him was offensive and he was basically ignored by the other guest, the owners and the servants. He went home and cleaned up and changed his clothes. The differences were quite impressive and his answer to this behavior was evident as he was heard telling his coat to eat and drink. When he was asked why he was wasting good food and drink on his coat his answer was “ When I came in my old coat, you offered me no hospitality at all, and now I wear this fine coat and you seat me at your table as an honored guest. So it must be the coat you invited to the feast!!”
Great read-a-loud book for all ages. Diaz, Magna
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