Four traveling merchants stumble upon a magnificent palace. Once inside, they meet a mysterious man dressed in blue, and things happen that make them each question their past experiences and assumptions. Through reading this imaginative tale, children learn that looks can be deceptive, and that there are deeper reasons to help others than we might at first assume. This story is one of many teaching stories collected and adapted by the Afghan philosopher Idries Shah, who told them to his own children to promote thinking skills and impart wisdom. These unique tales have their roots in Central Asia and the Middle East. They are published now, beautifully illustrated, so as to appeal to children in the lands in which they originated and to children in the West, the aims being to teach through humor and example and to draw attention to our commonalities.