Written in collaboration with young women from Help the Afghan Children s Rokhshana Girls School in Kabul.

Transcription

1 A Snow Leopard Dream Written in collaboration with young women from Help the Afghan Children s Rokhshana Girls School in Kabul. Copyright 2011 by Dot-to-Dot Children s Books, Denver, Colorado No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form by any electronic or mechanical means, including photocopying, recording, and information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher. For information regarding permission, please contact Dot-to-Dot Children s Books at info@dot-to-dot-books.org. Printed in Editor: Vanessa Birch Illustrations: [ ] Library of Congress Control Number: ISBN 13: ISBN 10:

2 Upcoming Changes: General: Illustraations are currently under way. Page 4:Group photo of authors and their names added Page 28-29: Pictures to be replaced and text edited by WCS Page 30: Profile of WCS conservationist to be added Page 31: Map page to be reformated Pages 32-33: Two page illustration showing life in Afghanistan to be added Page 34: Text describing the authors to be added Page 35: Pictures of the authors to be added

3 About this Book Hello Friends! Did you know that the young women from Afghanistan who are pictured to the left helped write this book? They learned all about snow leopards and then they wrote their own fun stories featuring the endangered big cats. We combined our favorite parts of their stories into the book you are about to read, A Snow Leopard Dream. At the end of this book you can explore the world of snow leopards and Afghanistan. You can also learn more about the authors of this story and Suraya Sadeed, the Founder and Executive Director of Help the Afghan Children, the organization that is helping this book's authors get an education and become leaders in Afghanistan. The team at Dot-to-Dot Children s Books hopes you enjoy A Snow Leopard Dream!

4 A little girl and her father lived in a remote area at the bottom of a high, rocky mountain in Ghazni province, a historic province in Afghanistan. Even though the skies were still blue and dotted with puffy clouds, summer was giving way to winter. A cool, calm wind blew through the province, and the first flakes of snow were beginning to fall.

5 At the top of the slope lived an old snow leopard, who had lived peacefully with other animals for years. He spent his days resting under the shelter of the trees. Even though the snow leopard lived peacefully on the side of the mountain, most of the townspeople were afraid of him, including the little girl. She feared the snow leopard would one day come down from the top of the mountain and attack her and her family.

6 Every night before she went to bed, her father would tell her a story. Tell me about the snow leopard, she asked her father one night. Why do you want to know about the snow leopard? her father asked. He does not bother us, so we do not need to talk about him. But what if he tries to harm us someday? the little girl asked her father. What if he comes down from the mountain to find us? Her father laughed. The snow leopard is old, he said. He will not harm us. Now close your eyes and go to sleep. You have school tomorrow and you need to rest.

7 The little girl felt herself falling into a deep sleep. She dreamt that she and her father were on a journey, climbing up the steep slope of the mountain where the snow leopard lived. They both carried many bags. Tired, they stopped to rest.

8 We will stay here overnight, her father said. The snow leopard watched them from atop his favorite rocky perch, and spent the rest of the night observing his visitors.

9 In her dream, the little girl and her father woke in the morning to the sounds of birds chirping and the wind whistling through the valley below. They were both hungry. We must look for food, her father said. You stay here, and I will go hunt. I need to find us something to eat. After her father left, the little girl sat under a tree to shield herself from the snow that was beginning to fall and the winter wind that was beginning to whip around her. Suddenly, she heard a strange noise a loud SNAP! and then a growl. Standing up, she followed the sounds further up the side of the mountain...

10 The girl reached a steep ledge and began to climb up it. As she peered over the top, she found herself face-to-face with the old snow leopard. On the snow leopard s leg she saw a large metal clasp she recognized it as a hunter s snare. The snow leopard was hurt, and she wanted to help him. Still deep in her dream, the young girl approached the snow leopard and released the latch of the snare.

11 Now free, the snow leopard looked at the little girl. Suddenly, it seemed he would leap right at her, but instead, he turned and ran the other way. The sun was already sinking behind the mountain peaks, so the little girl climbed back down the ledge. Reaching the bottom, she saw her father running in the distance, but he is running so fast, she thought. She ran toward him, following his footsteps.

12 Hearing noises behind her the breaking of twigs and the galloping of feet she turned around to see dozens of small, round lights. They were the eyes of a wolfpack! She stopped running. The wolves had surrounded her. Father! the little girl cried. The wolves are here! What do I do? The winter wind blew around the little girl. Her father couldn t hear her cries for help.

13 Suddenly, a loud GROOOOOOWL came from the top of the mountain. The girl heard the sound of an animal running, and then watched the snow leopard jump from the edge of a tall cliff, landing between the little girl and the wolves. He opened his mouth and let out another loud GROOOOOOWL! The wolves turned and ran, afraid they had upset the old snow leopard.

14 The little girl woke from her dream. She was lying in her bed, not under a tree on the side of the mountain. In the kitchen, she heard her father preparing her breakfast. Father! she said excitedly. I had a dream about the old snow leopard! We were climbing up his mountain and he was caught in a hunter s trap. I rescued him, and then he protected us from a pack of wolves! Her father laughed. See, the snow leopard doesn t want to hurt us! He is just like us he wants a peaceful place to live, and happiness for all creatures. You are a fearless little girl, like the old snow leopard because of you, he will continue walking up the mountain, strong and brave.

15 The real : Snow Leopards Snow Leopards: Endangered Leopard Facts Life span: years in the wild Weight: pounds Diet: carnivore - mountain goats and sheep, deer, small mammals Habitat: cold, mountainous areas Snow leopards are generally solitary animals, who usually live alone. They make their dens in caverns, caves and crevices, sometimes high up on steep mountainsides. Snow leopards are well adapted to their cold and snowy mountain homes. They have thick fur and padded feet to help keep them warm even during the coldest months of the year. They also have a spotted coat to help them blend into their surroundings and hide from predators and prey. Snow leopards can have very large areas where they live and hunt. They mark their territory by scratching on rocks and dirt patches with their claws. This shows other snow leopards when they are entering another leopard s territory. Some of their favorite prey are mountain goats, deer and small mammals like marmots. They are expert hunters and have been known to jump up to 20 feet or more when chasing prey. It is estimated that there are only a few thousand snow leopards left in the wild today. These big cats are now an endangered species because of humans. Snow leopard populations are in decline because of hunting, both hunting the animals that the leopards depend on for food and illegal hunting of the snow leopards themselves. Over hunting of the snow leopards prey, like mountain goats and sheep, forces them to travel longer distances to find food, sometimes bringing them close to villages and towns. Some leopards are killed by livestock herders who view them as a threat to their animals. The snow leopards are also hunted illegally by poachers who sell their fur and bones. Luckily, organizations like the Wildlife Conservation Society are taking action to try to save and protect snow leopards. One way they do this is by educating the public about the fur trade and the impact this is having on animals and ecosystems. In Afghanistan, the Wildlife Convervation Society has helped the government to hire and train 44 community rangers to protect and monitor wildlife.

16 On the Frontlines of Conservation Where in the world is Afghanistan? COUNTRY FACTS Continent: Asia Capital City: Kabul Official languages: Afghan Persian or Dari, Pashto Neighboring countries: China, Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan Did you know? Afghanistan is a county with many different geographies and climates. There you can find grasslands, deserts, marshes and high mountain ranges. A popular sport in Afghanistan is called cricket. It is a team sport played with a bat and ball. A large population of wild sheep, called Marco Polo sheep, live only in the Pamir region. This species was named after the explorer Marco Polo.

17 Can you imagine life in Afghanistan? These pages will be a two-page illustration depicting typical aspects of life in Afghanistan. To see an example, view the Can you imagine life in Cambodia? pages in the Cambodia book.

18 Text Meet the Authors

19 About Help the Afghan Children Help the Afghan Children, or HTAC, is an incredible organization dedicated to improving the lives of children in Afghanistan. They believe that investing in children is the best long-term strategy for ending Afghanistan s continuous conflict, poverty and fear and establishing peace, stability and prosperity. At its beginning, HTAC established 17 secret schools for 425 girls, which were forbidden during the time of Taliban rule. Today, they have many more schools and provide education to more than 23,000 students per year. Students enrolled in an HTAC school have the opportunity to engage in many different programs, including, computer, literacy and envirnomental education. HTAC has seen great success due in large part, to the strong local support they have found for providing quality education for their children. Investing in local communities is one of three ways they accomplish their mission, the others are establishing model schools and delivering innovative learning programs. Their goal is to empower young people by helping them become educated, healthy and productive members of their communities and future leaders. To learn more about this organization visit their website, A Hero and Leader Meet Suraya Sadeed, Founder and Executive Director of HTAC Suraya Sadeed was born and raised in Kabul, Afghanistan. She immigrated to the United States and became a succesful businesswoman, but on a return trip to Afghanistan during the Afghan Civil War she was horrified by the conditions of the children and her homeland. That same year she established HTAC. Suraya has since dedicated herself to improving the lives of Afghan children, despite the threat of danger to her own life at times. As a result of her hard work and dedication, more than 1.5 million children and their families have directly benefitted from her programs. She is a leading authority on the education and welfare of woman and children in Afghanistan and a pioneer in bringing innovative educational programs to the region. She has not only been recognized for her service by Afghans, but also governments and human rights leaders worldwide. WHAT CAN YOU DO? Go to to learn about ways that you can get involved and help make a difference too!

20 For Parents and Teachers About the Endangered Species, Empowered Communities Project Here are some activities to help you unlock a world of learning for your student or child: Search through fun and engaging activities for your classroom or home created by our education partner, Facing the Future. Facing the Future develops educational materials to help kids find inspiration and develop a global perspective as they learn critical thinking skills through lessons about global issues and sustainability. Explore these materials by using the pass code on the back cover of this book to access them on our website. Explore the Wildlife Conservation Society website to learn more about their development and conservation work. See how you can work together to help to prevent the extinction of snow leopards. Discuss some of the topics from this story with your kids. Ask them to compare their lives to what they imagine life is like in Afghanistan. Take them to a zoo to see endangered species in person. Help them identify endangered wildlife in your country and brainstorm ideas about how to reduce threats to them. For more activities, information about Afghanistan, and suggestions to build global awareness with your kids, please visit our website: A Snow Leopard Dream is part of an eight-book project called Endangered Species, Empowered Communities produced by Dot-to-Dot Children s Books. As a nonprofit organization, we are dedicated to developing children s literature that raises cultural awareness and generates funding for the communities that produce the content for the books we publish. Our team conducted workshops with young women and children in eight countries around the world to write narratives involving a local endangered species. We then amassed the core elements of those narratives and wove them into a unified story that was then reviewed by children s literature and conservation experts. At Dot-to-Dot Children s Books, we believe that it s never too early for children to learn about the world and its cultures, countries, and ecosystems. We hope that the Endangered Species, Empowered Communities Project will help children jump-start their curiosity about life beyond their own community and build an awareness about what they can do to make the world a better place. Our goal is to use stories to inspire a new generation of leaders as we help to empower the communities that wrote the stories. Don t miss the seven other stories in this series. Each book features an endangered species in the country where it was written and includes information about the work that is being done to protect that animal. To find out what you can do and for fun activities related to the Endangered Species, Empowered Communities collection, please visit:

21 Thank You! Many thanks to all of the people around the world who helped to bring A Snow Leopard Dream to life.