Drawing from her large collection of tales from Kurdish villages and from Kurdish refugees in the U.S., Edgecomb (The Kurdish Story Collection Project), introduces the history of Kurdistan, which problematically transcends the national boundaries of several Middle Eastern countries. With the assistance of several Kurdish scholars, she retells delightful tales featuring themes relating to nature, animal fables, fairy tale-like fantasies (e.g., "Fatima: The Kurdish Cinderella"), heroes, humor, and teaching the young. The volume includes maps; color photographs; story collection notes; Kurdish sayings, recipes, and games; resources; and a pronunciation guide to the Kurdish language. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)