Hoopoe Land

The stories are easily comprehensible. The different themes focus on how children experience the challenges of their particular life circumstances: The situations vary from trauma (a taxi accident, xenophobia, a house burning down and family violence), medical conditions (a congenital heart defect, a contagious lung disease and cerebral palsy) to different family compositions (adoption and an absent father). The stories raise children’s awareness of other children’s life circumstances and helps them develop their capacity for empathy. There is background information about the theme of each story with examples for discussion topics. The African hoopoe appears in each story and is associated with friendship and loyalty. Different cultures attach different meanings to the hoopoe bird.