Neem the Half-Boy

The Queen of Hich-Hich fails to follow the instructions given to her by Arif the Wise Man, and, as a result, gives birth to a half-boy. Neem makes himself complete by an act of cleverness, negotiation and compromise. This story helps children learn flexibility and perseverance.

For more than a thousand years this story has entertained young people and helped to foster in them the ability to examine their assumptions and to think for themselves. This tale is one of the many hundreds of Sufi developmental stories collected by Idries Shah from oral and written sources in Central Asia and the Middle East, presented here as one of a series of illustrated children's books.