An Iraqi Folktale

Retold by Jacqueline Greene

Illustrated by Katya Krenina
 An Iraqi Folktale
Retold by Jacqueline Greene
Illustrated by Katya Krenina
Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

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 Prince Habib stopped weaving when his father entered the
room. King Salim smiled at his son.
“You have become a fine carpet weaver and have learned
a great skill,” said the king. “You may be a rich prince, but
always remember that it is important to learn how to do
something well. A skill might help you one day.”

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 Habib had heard his father’s words a million times. The
king thought it was very important to learn a skill. So
Habib had learned how to make carpets when he was very
young. It was hard work, but he liked to weave beautiful
designs into the carpets.

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 “May I go out and ride my horse now, Father?” asked
the prince.
“You have done as much work as ten men today,” said
King Salim. “You may ride, but do not go far from the
palace.”

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 Prince Habib prepared his horse for the ride. “If we ride
fast, Pasha, we can go all the way to the mountains and
still be back before dinner!”
The prince rode across the fields. Soon Habib reached the
mountains, where there were tall trees all around him.

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 Suddenly a gang of thieves surrounded the prince. One
thief held the prince’s horse while another thief pulled the
prince to the ground.
“Where did a small boy get such a fine horse?” asked
one thief. “You must work for a rich man.”

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 Prince Habib was afraid to tell the thieves that he was
the son of King Salim.
“If we let him go, he might return and find our hiding
place,” said the leader with the black beard. “Let’s tie him
up. He will be a tasty meal for the
forest animals.”

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 Prince Habib was very afraid. He had to quickly think
of a way to save his life. “I may be a small boy, but I am
a good carpet weaver,” he told the thieves. “I could make
carpets for you to sell.”

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 The leader thought for a moment. “Perhaps we should
keep him alive,” he decided.
The thieves pushed Prince Habib along a path until they
came to a large cave.

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 The thieves tied the prince to a tree and gave him very
little to eat for three days. Prince Habib worried that he
would never see his father again.

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 At last, the thieves brought a weaving loom and some
bags of wool to the cave. They untied Habib and said,
“If you want to save your life, you must show us what you
can do.”

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 The prince worked very hard. All day and all night he
pulled wool through the loom to create a carpet with a
beautiful design. After a few weeks, the carpet was finished.

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 “This is the most beautiful carpet I have ever seen,” the
leader told the thieves. “We can either sell it in the market
or sell it to a rich man.”
“Neither one is right,” said Habib. “If you take it to the
palace and show it to the king, you will receive the best
price for it.”
So the leader rode off with the carpet.
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 Many hours passed, and at last the leader returned. “King
Salim said that the carpet must be the work of the best
carpet weaver in the land.”
The leader tossed a bag of gold coins to the thieves, who
fought over the money.

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 All of a sudden, King Salim rode up to the cave with
his army.
“Habib!” cried the king. “I have found you! When the
thief came to the palace with the carpet, I noticed that the
beautiful design was a map. I saw a large crown and a vine
leading to a cave. When I saw a small crown near the cave,
I knew that you had made the carpet. I called my army
and followed the map to find you here.”

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 Prince Habib smiled. “Father, you said, ‘A skill might
help you one day,’ and you were right. I learned to weave
carpets, and this skill saved my life.”
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 Folktale
Level L • 669 Words

Thieves capture Prince Habib when he is out

riding his horse. The clever prince offers to
make carpets for the thieves to sell. But can the
prince’s carpet-weaving skills help him escape
from the cave?

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