(Bilingual English-Spanish edition) Fatima is a young woman whose life seems beset by one disaster after another. Setting forth on a journey from her home in the West, she is shipwrecked and cast ashore alone near Alexandria, Egypt. Adopted by a local family of weavers, and beginning to prosper in her new life, she is captured and forced to work making masts for ships. While undertaking a journey to sell the masts, she finds herself shipwrecked once again – this time off the coast of China, where she finally realizes that what seemed to be disasters were really essential steps toward her eventual fulfillment. Full of wisdom and depth, and ideal as a bedtime story, Fatima’s tale helps children understand the need for perseverance to reach their goals. This traditional teaching story is well known in Greek folklore, but the present version is attributed to Sheikh Mohamed Jamaludin of Adrianople (modern-day Edirne in Turkey), who died in 1750. Fatima the Spinner and the Tent is filled with wonderful illustrations by Natasha Delmar, who was taught to paint by her father, the celebrated classic Chinese painter Ng Yi-Ching. Delmar captures Fatima's adventures with a wealth of detail and color and, using Middle Eastern and Chinese design, transports readers to the exotic lands of Fatima's travels in a way delightful to both young and old. Fátima es una joven cuya vida parece acosada por un desastre tras otro. Al emprender un viaje desde su hogar en Occidente, naufraga y las olas la arrojan a las costas cerca de Alejandría, en Egipto. Al encontrarse sola, es adoptada por una familia local de tejedores y comienza a prosperar en su nueva vida, pero es capturada y obligada a trabajar en la fabricación de mástiles para barcos. Mientras emprende un viaje para vender los mástiles, vuelve a naufragar, esta vez frente a las costas de China, donde finalmente se da cuenta de que lo que parecían ser desastres eran pasos realmente esenciales para su eventual realización personal. Lleno de sabiduría y profundidad, e ideal para ser escuchado antes de dormir, el cuento de Fátima ayuda a los niños a comprender la necesidad de la perseverancia para alcanzar sus metas. Esta historia de enseñanza tradicional es bien conocida en el folclore griego, pero la versión actual se atribuye al jeque Mohamed Jamaludin de Adrianópolis (la actual Edirne en Turquía), que murió en 1750. La hilandera Fátima y la carpa está maravillosamente ilustrado por Natasha Delmar, quien aprendió este arte con su padre, el célebre pintor clásico chino Ng Yi-Ching. Delmar captura las aventuras de Fátima y las ilustra con una gran cantidad de detalles y colores. Utilizando elementos chinos y del Medio Oriente, transporta a los lectores a las tierras exóticas de los viajes de Fátima de una manera que deleita tanto a niños como a adultos. "... an excellent example of a 'Teaching-Story' used to promote critical thinking through the power of an entertaining tale." - Foreword Reviews (U.S.) "This fascinating tale will captivate young readers with its suspenseful plot. Older readers can make connections with their own lives and explore the deeper meanings of the concepts of misfortune, opportunity, and ultimate happiness." - Denise Nessel, Ph.D., Consultant and Director of Publications, National Urban Alliance for Effective Education (U.S.) "If you are looking for a book for all ages that all can take something away from the reading, this just might be the book you are looking for. While aimed at children ... there is definitely more to it than that and even adults will find something to take away from the experience." - Wisconsin (U.S.) Muslim Journal "These teaching stories can be experienced on many levels. A child may simply enjoy hearing them; an adult may analyze them in a more sophisticated way. Both may eventually benefit from the lessons within." - "All Things Considered," National Public Radio (U.S.) "They [teaching stories] suggest ways of looking at difficulties that can help children solve problems calmly while, at the same time, giving them fresh perspectives on these difficulties that help them develop their cognitive abilities" - psychologist Robert Ornstein, Ph.D., in his lecture "Teaching Stories and the Brain" given at the U.S. Library of Congress "Through repeated readings, these stories provoke fresh insight and more flexible thought in children. Beautifully illustrated." - NEA Today: The Magazine of the National Education Association (U.S.) "Shah's versatile and multilayered tales provoke fresh insight and more flexible thought in children." - Bookbird: A Journal of International Children's Literature "These stories ... are not moralistic fables or parables, which aim to indoctrinate, nor are they written only to amuse. Rather, they are carefully designed to show effective ways of defining and responding to common life experiences." - Denise Nessel, Ph.D., Senior Consultant with the National Urban Alliance for Effecti