Forty Fortunes: A Tale of Iran
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, NJCopyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.