The Old Woman and The Eagle
Channel: Hoopoe Books
Date: 2020-02-24

The Old Woman and The Eagle
By Idries Shah
Illustrated by Natasha Delmar
Ages: 3–11

ISBN: 978-1-883536-27-5 (hardback) $18.00
ISBN: 978-1-942698-18-0 (paperback) $9.99
32 pages

In this amusing story, an old woman encounters an eagle for the first time. Perplexed by its unfamiliar appearance, she decides to change it to suit her own ideas of what a bird should look like. Her efforts mirror a common pattern of human thought: altering the unfamiliar to make it acceptable.

Natasha Delmar lives and works in the Bay Area. She is the daughter of the celebrated classic Chinese painter Ng Yi-Ching who taught her to paint.

“Out of Afghanistan comes this simple Sufi folk story collected by the late, noted Afghan author. In this gloriously illustrated tale, an old woman grooms an eagle to represent what she thinks is a pigeon—the only type of bird with which she is familiar. … Delmar’s paintings are beautiful and realistic. The side panels with detailed borders reflect elements of the tale and foreshadow events or reflect the elegant setting. … the classic story, packaged in an elegant design, will be a good addition to every collection.”  —Kirkus Reviews

“Natasha Delmar’s eye-catching color illustrations add a special touch to this wonderful story about learning to be open to new sights and things.” —Midwest Book Review

“A fine story of how not to change others … very highly recommended picturebook story.” —Children’s Bookwatch: The Picturebook Shelf