Afsana Seesana — Shahnaz Qayumi

Afsana Seesana is a very famous Afghan folk nursery rhyme. (In the Dari language, the word “afsana” means story). A rhyme associates words with similar sounds using a rhyming couplet or short verse and is often short and easy to remember. When people weren't able to read and write, a rhyme was verbally passed from generation to generation. In the past, literature was often written for children to learn the moral values of human relationships. In this context, Afsana Seesana promotes the magic of giving.

In this book, children are encouraged to share their food, with the consequence of giving being divine blessing. In Afghan culture, sharing and giving is culturally and traditionally fostered from a very young age, which makes the sharing skill embedded in the hearts and souls of all Afghans. If you have a little or a lot or you are poor or rich, still you must share. Sharing is not only fostered in respect to food but also spaces, materials, and objects.

Afsana Seesana is a fast-paced, dynamic, and joyful book, providing opportunities for cognitive development as children learn about the sequence of events, different professions, language development, semantics and syntax, and most of all the emotional and social skills of sharing. It is hoped that the lesson of this story will foster the internal satisfaction of positive behavior in children.