Latest picture books – take your pick

Stories of Peace and Kindness: For a Better World
Elizabeth Laird and Mehrdokht Amini
Otter-Barry Books, hardback £16.99

Will two tribes in Ethiopia make peace by throwing their most precious possessions in the river? 
Can a poor Palestinian shepherd show a rich sultan the value of true kindness? And will an angel in Afghanistan find a way to turn the selfish Emir into a caring ruler? These are the questions posed in three of the seven uplifting fables originating from Afghanistan, Sudan, Syria, Ethiopia, Palestine, Yemen, and a rare Uighur story from China. 

Author, Elizabeth Laird, is a Scottish author who has spent many years collecting folktales from all over the world, setting up a project with the Ethiopian Ministry of Education and the British Council to preserve folktales from all over Ethiopia, and has collected here, a series of folklore fables containing themes of hope and reconciliation, all coming from countries with recent experience of war or conflict. This is a really beautifully written and illustrated book with a traditional children’s picture book feel to it, even though each fable’s theme is contemporary.