Neem the Half-Boy

Written by Idries Shah

Illustrated by Midori Mori & Robert Revels

Summary:

This clever tale hails from Afghanistan, Central Asia, and the Middle East. We meet the Queen of Hich-Hich, who is very desperate to have a son; she sought guidance on how she may do so. Arif the Wise Man tells the Queen to eat an apple to have a son; she was distracted and left the apple half-eaten. Soon her son was born, but he was only half a boy: he had one eye, one arm, hopped on one leg, and was named Neem, which meant "half" in their language. Neem grew tired of being a half-boy and sought Arif the Wise Man to find how he could become whole. Arif told him to banish the dragon Taneen and use a potion hidden in his cave. Neem offered to bring Taneen a stove in exchange for the cure and peace in the village. 

Grade Level and Unit:

Neem the Half-Boy would be a good fit for third to fifth-grade classrooms. This book is a fairy-tale, but it does deal with more serious topics. A lesson on integrity and character traits would be a great opportunity to use this book. I also think a teacher could use this story as a segue into a narrative writing prompt.