Week 4 Reading Diary: Persian Fairy Tales

I've found my strategy for the previous reading diaries to be a bit cumbersome, so I've decided to pare my reading diary down and make brief notes on a few stories that stick out to me. This week, I'll be reading Persian Fairy Tales.

The City of Nothing-in-the-World
This story was very interesting to me. It was super descriptive and creative, but also very hard to believe. Could it all be just an excuse a little girl crafted because she lost two eggs? I think that's pretty likely. Children have such active imaginations!

Susku and Mushu
I thought this story was fun to read and I really liked how it became an accumulation story at the end! I didn't really get why the mother would cut off her thumbs and turn them into griddle cakes? Also, after she cut the first thumb off, I think it'd be pretty difficult to cut the second thumb off, but that's a technicality.

The Wolf-Aunt
The background information given about this story really helped me to enjoy the story itself more. As the notes at the beginning point out, this story is told to children to encourage due distrust of their father's sister. I found it kind of sad that people would want to scare their children into disliking a family member, but I see how this story could effectively do that.

The Praying Baker
In this story, the idea of God's will is illustrated through the baker's journey to find the ring. He prays several times in the story, saying "Whatever God has willed, that is, and only that shall come to pass." The baker is a good man and a man of faith. In the end he is able to get the ring back, so the king spares his life.

Story of the Wolf Bride
I liked how this story utilized the idea of astrology and fate. No matter how careful the boy and his parents were, they could not avoid the fate he was predestined for. This story was pretty short, and I think if I chose to do this for my retelling this week, I could embellish it.

The Story of the Baker and the Grateful Fish
My favorite part of this story was when the fish recognized the baker as their friend and aid, so they formed themselves into a raft and carried him to safety. I also really liked the ending, both the baker and the master ended up getting what they deserved.