Old Man and His Donkey

Abu and his donkey have been together for as long as anyone can remember. Everyday they bring water to the village in the mountains, and every day the villagers are waiting for them, ready to fill their pots. Sometimes the donkey carries firewood, sometimes sacks of rice, and in the long dark nights she has a very special job to do. But one day a young man in a shiny truck rolls up. He can carry more of everything and much faster, can't he? So what will become of Abu and his donkey now? But big isn't always best, and nothing can rival the experience of an old man and his tired and trusted friend, especially in the mountains!

Julia Johnson is a drama teacher turned children's author, storyteller and performer who first came to Dubai in 1975. She has appeared on stage, TV and radio in the UK and in Dubai, has toured Theatre-in-Education productions to schools and has recorded over 100 audio books.Julia's stories frequently focus on the history and culture of the Arabian Peninsula. She has written over a dozen stories for children including 'The Camel That Got Away' and 'Humpy Grumpy's Mission Improbable'. 'The Turtle Secret' won the Best International Children's Book Award at Sharjah International Book Fair 2014. She has toured schools and colleges across the Emirates, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia with talks and workshops, and is a regular speaker at the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature.Charlene Kasdorf grew up in the prairies of Canada and spent afternoons rummaging through the boxes of paper in her parents' printing shop. Logically, she began her studies in Graphic Design, and while working internationally, earned her BFA and MEd. She now lives in Qatar and balances her work in illustration, art, and education ... all the while spending afternoons watching her two little sand pirates construct inventions and stories out of paper.