For millennia, Somalia has been crossed and recrossed by camel caravans of merchants bringing stories with them. Elizabeth Laird heard most of these oral retellings in Jigjiga, the capital of Ethiopia's Somali region, in gardens, bars, small huts and beautiful old Harari houses. Some of them are written down here for the very first time. This wonderful collection of down-to-earth tales makes a perfect introduction to a fascinating and little-known country.

Author Biography

Elizabeth Laird worked in Malaysia and Ethiopia and lived in Iraq and Beirut during the civil war, before being evacuated to Vienna and finally moving to Richmond. Her best-known books include The Garbage King, set in Addis Ababa, which was shortlisted for the 2003 Carnegie Medal and Crusade, shortlisted for the 2008 Carnegie Medal. Her first novel, Red Sky in the Morning, was Highly Commended for the Carnegie Medal. Kiss the Dust, which won the Children's Book Award in 1992 and the Dutch Royal Geographical Society Glass Globe Award, is also set in Iraq and Iran. She lives in Richmond-upon-Thames, London. To visit Elizabeth Laird's website click here Shelley Fowles was born in South Africa. Her books include The Bachelor and the Bean, winner of the U.S. Maron Vannett Ridgway Honor Book Award 2004. She lives in east London.