The Ghoul

by Taghreed Najjar, Hassan Manasra (Illustrator)

A story about facing your fears and accepting differences, inspired by Arabic folk tales.

The villagers are afraid of the “Ghoul.” For years, they’ve tiptoed around the village for fear of disturbing it. The monster doesn’t look like them, and it is believed to eat humans.

One day, the brave Hassan embarks on a dangerous mission to face the long-feared Ghoul. When Hassan finally meets the Ghoul living on top of the mountain, he discovers that the Ghoul is just as terrified of people as they are of him. Hassan and the Ghoul realize that they can still be friends, despite their differences.

A beautifully illustrated story that can be used as a springboard to discuss how we perceive those who are different and how our fears and prejudices may be built on false assumptions.

Genres: Picture Books, Folk Tales, Muslims, Childrens, Fiction, Folklore

32 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1995

About the author

Taghreed Najjar is the founder of Al Salwa Publishing House. She is also a writer of children books and educational material related to story books. She works closely with schools and presents workshops for teachers and children. Many of her books have been adopted as supplementary readers by schools in the region.
Taghreed enjoys visiting schools for “meet the author” events and for story reading sessions of her latest books. She says, “It is an exhilarating experience interacting with my readers. I feel truly privileged to be a part of their childhood memories through my books.”
Some of her titles have been translated and published in English, Italian, Swedish, Turkish adn French.
Taghreed has travelled to many parts of the world to read her stories but now resides in Amman, Jordan with her family where she continues to write.
تعدّ تغريد النجار من رواد أدب الأطفال الحديث في الأردن. تخرجت من الجامعة الأميركية في بيروت عام 1973، وحصلت على بكالوريس أدب انجليزي ودبلوم في التربية والتعليم وتخصصت فرعيا بعلم النفس.
أول كتاب نشرته كان "صفوان البهلوان" عام 1978، وقد قامت بتأليفه وبتصميم رسوماته. بعد ذلك، نشرت لها "دار الفتى العربي" المشهورة في ذلك الوقت ثلاث قصص ثم قامت "المؤسسة العربية للدراسات والنشر" بنشر ست قصص لها.
عملت في سلك التعليم لعدة سنوات ثم عملت كمديرة لقسم النشر في مركز هيا الثقافي. في 1996 أسست تغريد النجار "دار السلوى للدراسات والنشر".
تكتب تغريد قصصًا مصورة موجهة إلى الفئة العمريّة الأولى 3+. وقد بدأت مؤخّرًا بكتابة روايات لليافعين، لاقت نجاحًا كبيرًا، واحتفى بها قرّاؤها على نطاق واسع، كما تم اعتمادها في المدارس كجزء من مناهجها الدراسية. تُرجم العديد من أعمالها إلى لغات أجنبية كالإنجليزية والسويدية والتركية ,والإيطالية. وقد فازت بعض كتبها بجوائز مهمة وأُدرج بعضها الآخر على اللوائح القصيرة لجوائز إقليمية،

Reviews

[Abigail]

A young boy named Hasan grows tired of the restrictions put upon him and the other children of his village in this Jordanian picture-book, and begins to question the adults about the fearsome ghoul said to live on the nearby mountaintop. Determined not to be afraid, he announces that he will travel to the mountaintop and confront the ghoul, but when he finally reaches his destination, he makes a surprise discovery: this supposed monster is just as afraid of humans, as they are of him...

Originally published in Arabic as الغول, and translated into English this past year (2020) for the Northampton, Massachusetts-based publisher, Crocodile Books, The Ghoul is the third picture-book I have read from author Taghreed Najjar, after her Watermelon Madness and My Brother and Me . She is the first Jordanian children's author I have encountered, and I'm glad her work is being translated into English. The story here is engaging, and explores the classic themes of fear and prejudice, as the people in Hasan's village shun the ghoul, believing every bad story they have heard of him, despite never having had any interaction with him themselves. The resolution of the story offers a hopeful answer to this situation, suggesting that people of different backgrounds can learn to become friends, if they give one another a chance. The accompanying artwork from Hassan Manasra, who apparently has a background in animated film, is quite expressive, ably capturing the emotional state of the various characters. Recommended to picture-book readers looking for stories about intercommunity friendship and tolerance, or for children's books from Jordan and/or the wider Arab world.

[Kristine]

The book “The Ghoul” is written by Taghreed Najjar and illustrated by Hassan Manasra. It was written in Arabic and translated to English. Hassan, a brave young boy, and his community live in “constant fear” of the” Ghoul” who lives atop the mountain. The sheer mention of the Ghoul makes them panic and keeps them on constant edge. Villagers whisper so they do not disturb the Ghoul. They try not to laugh too loud. The Ghoul changes the way they exist in their world. Hassan starts to question why people are afraid of the Ghoul and he asks his parents about what he has done to make them live with this kind of fear. His parents reiterate why Hassan should be scared but it does not satisfy Hassan. He wants to live and laugh without fear. He decides he will seek out this monster for himself. Some villagers supported Hassan’s brave journey to face the Ghoul and others lamented the impending doom. Hassan made it to the top of the mountain and did not find anything that made him afraid. He actually loved the view from the top of the mountain. Then, he found himself “face-to-face” with the Ghoul, who looked exactly like the villagers’ physical descriptions. To Hassan’s surprise, the Ghoul ran away from him! Hassan realized that the villagers and the Ghoul share the same misguided fear. Hassan accepts their differences and starts to form a friendship.

This book is engaging and the illustrations are soft and expressive. The book addresses broader themes of the terrible effects of fear and prejudice on communities. The book has a traditional message about not only accepting differences but celebrating them. This book can teach children to explore and question things that make them afraid or uneasy. Students can be empowered by Hassan’s choice to face his fears. This book would be a good addition to a folktale unit and used to teach overcoming false assumptions. Since it is a story that has some fantasy elements, students would need scaffolding to connect this to their own lives and potential prejudices that they currently hold.

I found this book on the Middle East Outreach Council website listed under the Middle East Book Award list. It can be listened to via Youtube or purchased as a hard copy.

[Mathew]

Inspired by Arabic folk tales, this is a story about a young boy, Hasan, who decides to not only face his fears but also accept and welcome differences. In doing so he not only challenges his village's perception of an outsider but also of the outsider's sense of self worth.

Set within a peaceful village 'on the slopes of the Mountain of Mountains', Najjar and Manasra's tale begins with us finding out that the residents lead happy lives save for the fear of the Ghoul which lives atop the mountain. His menacing presence threatens the inhabitants as do the fearful stories about his actions and his taste for humans. Hasan though is an inquisitive young boy and, much to his parents' horror, decides that since much of what he hears about the Ghoul seems based on hearsay to take his chances and seek the monster out.

Much to his surprise he finds that both the villagers' fears and that of the Ghoul's are similar - whilst remaining deeply false. What ensues is a lovely close to this delightful picturebook. Translated from Arabic by Michel Mousabeck, this Jordanian import introduces important social themes about stereotypes and segregation with a traditional tale backdrop. I thoroughly enjoyed Manasra's soft illustrations.

[Rachel Stine]

I positively LOVE all the different "boogeyman" stories from around the world. The fact that every culture has some monster who eats naughty children suggests that kids have ALWAYS behaved like this. It has nothing to do with modern parents actually treating them like human beings.

[Taghreed Najjar]

نحن نؤمن بأهمية إعادة سرد القصص التراثية لتخدم أدب الطفل العربي وذلك باستخدام رموز القصة التراثية لعرض قصص ذات مفاهيم تربوية حديثة وهذا تماما ما نقوم به في قصة " الغول". وقصة "الغول" التي كتبتها تغريد النجار ورسمها حسن مناصرة تستخدم الغول للحديث عن الكيفية التي ننظر بها إلى الناس والمخلوقات الذين يختلفون عنا وكيف يمكن أن نبني مخاوفنا ونطلق الأحكام المسبقة على افتراضات خاطئة. تدور أحداث القصة حول قرية أصبحت الحياة فيها مشلولة بسبب الخوف من الغول الذي يعيش على قمة الجبل المشرف عليها. هذا الغول لم يشاهده أحد ولم يؤذ أحدًا قط، ولكن الناس مرعوبون منه، ويمشون على رؤوس أصابعهم ويتهامسون حتى لا يعكروا صفو الغول المخيف. حسن هو الفتى الذي سئم من هذا الخوف وقرر أن يتحقق من الغول بنفسه ويحرر القرويين من الخوف الذي سيطر على حياتهم.

عن صفحة الناشر " السلوى للدراسات والنشر

[Erin]

Hasan's community lives in fear of the ghoul on the mountain. They live stifled, quiet lives so as not to disturb the fearsome, child-eating monster. Hasan comes to the conclusion that he needs to learn more about this monstrous creature. He comes to find out, however, that the ghoul is equally afraid of the human community, and given that the ghoul is all alone one can certainly understand their fear. Hasan returns to his community, accompanied by both the ghoul and some lessons about living one's life in ignorance and isolation.

I liked the message, the story, and the illustrations. Many elements reminded me of Wilfred, which got a little deeper into the selfishness of the villagers as opposed to fear. But both books hit on elements of community that take team loyalty and anti-outsider sentiment to extremes. Both make the point that societies are better, stronger, healthier, kinder when we open them up to outsiders.

[Diana]

Hasan the brave is a boy who lives in a small village, where everyone is afraid of the ghoul that lives at the top of the mountain. the older adults tell the kids shhhh! be quiet or the ghoul will come down and eat all of you. hasan decides to go up the mountain to see the ghoul for himself. he wants to laugh and yell and play freely. the ghoul is afraid of hasan. they become friends in spite of their differences.

[Tompkins County Public Library Youth Services]

The inside flap said it best: "The Ghoul is a beautifully illustrated story that can be used as a spring board to discuss how we perceive those who are different and how our fears and prejudices may be built on false assumptions." Very good book.

[Amy]

An Arabic folktale about a young boy who faces the village nemesis and discovers that in letting our fears control our actions, we miss out on wonderful relationships and experiences. Pretty standard fare as far as the originality of the story and the illustrations weren't memorable.

[Mary Ann]

Delightful story with folktale appeal. Would make great read aloud. Wish there was a little more backstory about setting and inspiration. Love the messages about courage, looking assumptions in the face and overcoming prejudice

[Jessica]

The main character of the story, Hassan goes to check out the ghoul everyone is afraid of. Of course, the ghoul ends up being different than how everyone thinks he is. I think I'm getting sick of reading folk and fairy tales.

[Emelie Y]

This is a story about Hassan, who lives in a village close to the mountains. He and his family live in fear of the Ghoul, but Hassan decides to go against the old sayings of the villagers and ends up being surprised...

It's a very sweet and lovely folktale.

[Caitlin]

A sweet story about the dangers of preconceived notions.

[Anne with Violets]

That's right, don't make assumptions about someone you haven't seen or experienced.

[Austyn]

Translated Children's Books Month!  Book 35/50  (Arabic)

[KSena]

So, this is a picture book for younger kids that I picked to read for the 6 year olds, the 7 year olds and the special education kids/teens.

I picked it because I thought the artwork on each page is quite beautiful and expressive. And the story deals subtly and cleverly with rumor-spreading and friendship. Also! Bonus! It’s an arabic fairy tale! Translated, obviously, but still! There’s so many western fairy tales, it was lovely to find something else to read for the kids since I have quite a few refugee kids at the school I work at.

So all in all it was just a lovely little book all around! Truly recommend it for everyone that deals with kids in any way whatsoever!

[Israa]

Thank you Edelweiss for an advanced copy. This is a short, cute picture book that is easy to read. The illustrations are great, too. The characters are Muslim, but it’s not a religious book. The themes of bravery, intelligence, and differences between us can all be discussed. I would definitely purchase this for our younger elementary classroom libraries, and this would make a great read aloud.

[V]

There are countless books teaching the acceptance of differences, so how do you choose which one to read? You pick one with a well-written story and soulful illustrations. You pick one whose characters you'll remember and whose plot offers interest. You pick one with artisitic and linguistic value. And you pick one that is not too heavy handed with its message. In short, you pick The Ghoul.

[Pinky]

Hasan is tired of living in fear from a ghoul everyone in the village is afraid of. He sets of to find the ghoul and it turns out the ghoul is afraid of people but more importantly the ghoul is a vegetarian. So, the ghoul and the villagers learn to live in harmony thanks to the brave Hasan.

[A.]

حسن الشجاع إكتشف سر الغول الذي يخافه كل أهالي القرية

النص ممتاز والإخراج أكثر من جيد

مناسبة لقراء المرحلة الإبتدائية

[Fatma]

استمتع أطفالي بقراءة هذه القصة ولقد كان ممتعا مشاهدة تعابير وجوههم وهي تتغير من الخوف من الغول إلى الابتهاج بكونه مخلوقا لطيفا بعد كل شيء.

[Andréa]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through Edelweiss.