Firas and his Three Friends

ABOUT THE BOOK
FAMILY ACTIVITIES

Firas and his Three Friends

Text: Elham Tabry | Illustrations: Faten Katoof

A new, rhymed version of the Arabic folktale of Firas, upset when his field of corn and barley has been consumed by one of his friend. He uses a magical lake to get to the truth about which one of his friends — donkey, sparrow or dove — has lied to him about eating from the field. And will he forgive the liar?

Family Activities

This is a traditional tale told to us by a grandmother, and it shows us the importance of different values, such as forgiving and embracing our friends, even if they make a mistake. There are challenges which are represented in the plot of the story that we face as parents in raising our children; ...

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Dear Parents,

What could we do as parents if a similar situation occurred in the family, such as the one in which Firas finds himself? Do we give our children a test like Firas did with his friends, or are there other methods that support rather than punish, direct and not judge?

Family Activities

We can join our child in reading the story aloud. They will definitely enjoy imitating the sounds of a donkey, a dove and a bird, and repeat their words before they jump over the lake.
We can chat with our child about how Firas felt when he discovered that his plants had been pulled out. What do we feel if someone ruins an item we love, like a favorite toy or a cake we made?
The donkey could not resist his desire to eat the crops. We may wish to chat with our child about situations in which it is difficult to postpone their desires, such as eating a lot of sweets, or using an object without asking for permission. What can they do?
The donkey did not tell Firas that he was the culprit, why do you think he didn’t? Maybe he was afraid of the punishment, or perhaps of losing Firas’ friendship. We can chat with our child about similar situations that they may be going through in the family or kindergarten, and we can think together about alternative ways to deal with them.
Who are our friends, and what do we like to do with them?
The keffiyeh is a popular local headdress for men. This is an occasion to introduce our children to our beautiful traditional costumes.
Which other folktales do we know, or have heard from our grandmothers? We can listen, have fun, write and draw.
Enjoy your reading!