Night in the Country

Book Description

There is no night so dark, so black as night in the country. And while the people dream of daytime things, the nighttime world awakens. Owls swoop, a rabbit patters, and in the yard an apple falls -- pump! -- from the tree.

Listen. Go to the window. Across the field a light glows. Who else is up so late? Who else watches and hears the sights and sounds of night in the country -- the many stirrings of silence, the many colors of the dark?

Lyrical text and velvety pictures present a very different kind of nighttime: a mysterious, moving night that will lull small children to sleep.

Customer Reviews:

sweet story about nighttime in the country.......2007-10-02

Rylant talks about all the interesting things one might hear during a night in the country and at the end brings it back around to letting those things hear us during the day. I think this is a perfect book for children aged 2-6. My two year old seemed to like the illustrations and story and I like how the book itself presents the simple and fascinating things you can hear at night if you'll only pay attention.

NIGHT IN THE COUNTRY.......2007-08-16

THE BOOK ARRIVED IN EXCELLENT CONDITION AND IS BEING ABSOLUTELY ENJOYED BY MY GRANDCHILDREN. THE ILLUSTRATIONS ARE LOVELY, AS IS THE STORY

Catches the Mood of Night Time.......2007-05-13

I love it! This picture book was a recommendation from an Amazon booklist; the description made me curious because we live in the country, too (in Australia).

The whole atmosphere of this book is wonderful - it quietly describes a dark country night to your child so gently that it takes away the childly fear of darkness and the creaking noises of an old country house at night! You can visualise the apple falling from the tree in the orchard, and I loved the mention of the squeaky screendoor from the neighbour's place as well. Except for the racoon (which I change into a wombat when I read it to my son) everything applies so much to anywhere country all over the world.

This book is a loving description of life in the country, and I recommend it for all parents who live on a rural property. I'd suggest from about 3 years of age if your child is worried about darkness or night sounds; but even our 9 months old son already loves the quiet mood of this book which helps him wind down and fall asleep really easy.

BEAUTIFUL BOOK...GREAT TO READ WITH THE YOUNG ONES........2006-11-21

Night in the country is a beautiful work. I love the illustrations by Mary Szilaggi. It, like the title states, deals with night in the country, in particular, night sounds, which can, if a young child is not use to them, be a bit alarming. I have found this book quite useful with young grandchildren, nieces, nephews and friends who are unfortunate enough to live in the city. When they visit, some of the sounds simply frighten them. After reading this book to them, we take them on night walks, slow walks through our trees and fields, listening and then identifying the sound they hear. This is fun and the fright soon leaves. The illustrations and the text of this work are quite simple and a joy to both the ear and they eye. Highly recommend this one.

Great bedtime book-would make a great gift.......2005-12-10

This book has a wonderful meter for reading aloud as a bedtime book and I would recommend it highly for anyone looking for a bedtime book for a young child. The story is very calming and poetic, not a rhyming sing-song book but a wonderfully comforting weaving of words and illustration to help soothe little minds about the night noises they might hear. You do not have to live in the country to appreciate the descriptions of "the groans and squeaks that houses make" Enjoyable from the city to the fields and everywhere in between.

Cynthia Rylant's soothing rhythm and Mary Szilagyi's illustrations are a perfect fit.

My children aged 2 and 4 adore this book and request it frequently at bedtime.

One Thousand and One Arabian Nights (Oxford Story Collections)

Average customer rating:

Ultimate Fairy Tales
Appeals to all ages
Adventure & more!
You Won't Find Fairytales Any Better
WOW

One Thousand and One Arabian Nights (Oxford Story Collections)
Geraldine McCaughrean
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0192750135

Book Description

King Shahryar kills a new wife every night, because he is afraid she will stop loving him. But his new bride Shahrazad has a clever plan to save herself. Her nightly stories--of Sinbad the Sailor, Ali Baba, and many other heroes and villains--are so engrossing that King Shahryar has to
postpone her execution again and again... This illustrated edition brings together all the Arabian Nights tales in an original retelling by award-winning author Geraldine McCaughrean.

(paperback reissue of ISBN 0-19-274500-X)

Customer Reviews:

Ultimate Fairy Tales.......2007-08-20

"Arabian Nights" is one of those works that everyone has heard of, but not many have actually read. Hence I decided to actually read it, instead of guessing the stories of Ali Baba or Abu Kasim. I am glad that I did.

"Arabian Nights" are well deserving their reputation as one of the best collections of fairy tales anywhere. Interwoven and connected by the young Queen wanting to stay alive, and managing to do so by telling her husband stories, the collection is amazing in language, style and sheer imagination.

Most stories take place in Baghdad, and instead of a war torn, news-exploited place, Baghdad became a place of magic and place of palaces and culture so deeply entrenched, that the entire world knows of them. I recommend this book to everyone who wants to go somewhere exotic and beautiful, even if it is just in thoughts. Great reading!

Appeals to all ages.......2007-07-23

My seventh grader is reading this book to my second grader. They are both loving it.

Adventure & more!.......2007-04-01

Arabian Nights - The classic Tales of Adventure, thrilling suspense, romance and more. These Indian, Arabian and Persian mix tales are ever enchanting tales and an interesting read. The school syllabus picks up the best of the best Arabian nights stories into the text lessons since many years, esp. Aladdin and the Magic Lamp, Sindbad the Sailor and Alibaba and the Forty Thieves. All my fav stories but the most adventurous is Sindbad the Sailor. Why, I remember Pip the Sailor and of coz, Popeye but than, the classics are the ever best of the best on my book shelf. Even Ali Baba takes you on a dreamy path to being rich and Aladdin reminds of the Genie who obeys orders.

The tales are just poetic and take kids to a world of imagination. However, I guess if religion is pushed aside by avoiding repeat 'allah', I guess this book will be a great pick by all. However, kids are sure to love reading these lovely stories. A nice pick.

You Won't Find Fairytales Any Better.......2006-11-17

Words cannot describe the fantastic quality of this collection of Arabic literature. But don't get the book just to read the tale of Ala al-Din (Aladdin) and his Wonderful Lamp, because the other tales included surpass this merely moderate one by far - although it's interesting to find out that a black midget is Aladdin's primary nemesis (upon who Disney's Jafar is based, apparently).

The stories touch on such a wide variety of unusual topics: a man's visit to the kingdom of mermaids, a dead beggar getting tripped over again and again, a guy claiming to have several volcanoes in a portable bag, a Sultan's escape from a buffalo-faced woman in the presence of a group of pink ladies, and the marriage of a prince to a turtle. Insane stuff.

My favorite story is The Everlasting Shoes by far. It's quite possibly the funniest thing I've ever read. It's about an old miser who's so cheap he never buys new shoes. He just patches up the pair he has whenever they get holes. The addition of so many patches naturally make his shoes bigger and bigger. Eventually the shoes become ridiculously huge and heavy and smelly, and they make a lot of noise as the miser walks. The scene of the shoes being thrown into the river and getting caught in the millwork is well worth the price of the entire book.

There's a story in here that looks VERY much like a mid-east version of Cinderella. Quite interesting.

I am unable to tell how many liberties the author has taken in translating the tales, but they're definitely fun to read. There are tons of ancient day metaphors and funny insults like, "You flea on a cockroach's kneecap!" and "Son of a plank! Did you steal your brains from a table?" I really liked reading the misfortunes of the protagonist in the Keys of Destiny stories, and the nagging wives that appear sporadically are pretty darn funny.

The things I didn't like about this book were very few. Only its frequent mentioning of Allah and the puzzling weakness of its 998th and 999th stories about a flying toy horse.

I would recommend the Arabian Knights to anybody over the age of fifteen; probably because I was so surprised at the large amount of enjoyable humor.

WOW.......2004-06-21

Absolutely the best work of fiction EVER. Indeed, I too wish, that there were 1001 stories or even 1.000.001 ones inside this lovely book but all good things must come to an end.
Anyways, if you wander, why 1001 nights? - here's the answer.

Two brothers, both Kings, have both been victims of cheating wives. They both kill them and their lovers but later on, one of the brothers, King Shahryar can't stand the loneliness in the dark so he comes to a decision to marry a new wife fetched by his Counsellor, every night then kill her next day after because he believes that "All women are fickles" and that "None of them love their husbands for more then one day"...so he marries a new wife each night until the streets began to get emptied. Then, when 'no other girl' is left, Shahrazad, the eldest girl of the King's Counsellor, becomes his 1001-st wife. Unlike other wives, Shahrzad survives because...

Do not say you read books if you didn't read this one!

Book Description

London is poised on the brink of World War 11. Timid, scrawny Willie Beech -- the abused child of a single mother -- is evacuated to the English countryside. At first, he is terrified of everything, of the country sounds and sights, even of Mr. Tom, the gruff, kindly old man who has taken him in. But gradually Willie forgets the hate and despair of his past. He learns to love a world he never knew existed, a world of friendship and affection in which harsh words and daily beatings have no place. Then a telegram comes. Willie must return to his mother in London. When weeks pass by with no word from Willie, Mr. Tom sets out for London to look for the young boy he has come to love as a son.

Customer Reviews:

powerful story about family.......2007-07-11

Timid, scrawny, Willie Beech is the abused child of a single mother. She sends him to Mr. Tom, who lives in the English countryside, because London is being bombed by the Nazis.

The two main adults in this story, the mother and Mr. Tom, seem very similar in the beginning. Yet, by the end, we see that they are completely different. What really hit home was this: hard times can make hard people, but one's true colors shine through when faced with others in need.

Mr. Tom's gruff exterior is only his exterior. He's really got a warm heart, which he opens up to Willie and shows him the love that's supposed to be in a family.

The mother's quiet, strict exterior masks her bitter, mean nature. She has no love for her children, and abuses them in subtle, neglectful ways.

We don't actually see the abuse, we see the end result...which, in my opinion, is far more powerful. I cried for Willie at the end of this book, and cheered Mr. Tom for doing everything he could to save this poor boy. When children are old enough to understand the results of abuse, every family should read this book.

Amazing Stuff.......2007-03-18

I decided to read this book for seventh grade accellerated reader. This great piece of literature has quickly become one of my all time favorite books. I'm very hard to please when it comes to books. When you read this, you become so attached to every last character. It is truly amazing.

Good Night Mr. Tom.......2006-11-08

I thought that this book was a very good book to read. I thought that it gave a lot of details and it was very interesting and exciting. This book was sort of hard to understand because Mr. Tom said different words funny. I really liked the part where Mr. Tom went over to London to try to find Will at his house. I also liked the part where Will was taken from his hospital bed and brought back to Mr. Tom's home. The ending left me hanging because at the end he said Dad I'm growing. I would give this book about five stars.

A Great Book for Realistic Fiction Lovers!.......2006-10-07

Willie (Will) Beech, the likable main character in "Good Night, Mr. Tom", is a shy, scared, malnourished 8-year-old evacuated to the English countryside from London in World War II. Willie goes to live with a kind older man, Tom Oakley, whom Willie affectionately calls Mr. Tom. Willie, who was frequently abused by his mother in the past, learns new, loving ways of life while in the care of Tom. He grows both physically and emotionally during his stay, but many times this growth is interrupted by thrilling plot-twists.

Though "Good Night, Mr. Tom" is heart-warming and most definitely a page-turner, there are parts that are quite graphic, and others that are remarkably sad. I would not recommend it to those who prefer stories that are entirely happy, or to those who cannot tolerate gore. However, I would definitely recommend "Good Night, Mr. Tom" to anyone else.

USEFUL INFORMATION: Since the story is set in England, (the English countryside, more specifically), the author writes each word exactly as the characters would say it. This dialect can be a bit confusing, but it's not too hard to comprehend.

A real tear jerker, but a great book........2006-07-13

My son had to pick a book from a long list to read over the summer for school. After reading the reviews for this book, we chose it. It was a very touching story, sad in places and happy in others. You really are cheering for Will and Mr. Tom. The author uses colloquial accents of rural England, but you really get used to it. My son is reading the book now and isn't having a problem understanding what the characters are saying. He is also enjoying the book a great deal, and having a hard time putting it down.

Average customer rating:

Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis; Meet Me at The Fair!
My four-year-old adores this book
Crews does it again!
Disappointing on several levels
Disappointing on several levels

Night at the Fair

Manufacturer: Greenwillow
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Picture Books | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Baby-3 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0688114830
Release Date: 1998-04-14

Book Description

It's time! The gates are open, the rides are spinning-come to the fair! Nighttime at the fair is magic with Caldecott Honor-winning author-artist Donald Crews. The sky goes dark and the colored lights begin to flash and sparkle. There are games to play and treats to eat. From the top of the Ferris wheel you can see where you've been-and where you have yet to go. So much to do and see. Hurry!

Customer Reviews:

Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis; Meet Me at The Fair!.......2005-06-01

Donald Crew admirably captures the nighttime look and feel of a state fair in this beautifully illustrated kids' book. Using gouache and watercolor, his vivid primary colors contrasts the dark sky with the dazzling neon signs. One can practically feel the electricity pulsing from the bright lights, and the diffusion of light emits a magical energy. This super luminosity also enables readers to view the faces and emotions of the diverse crowd: romantic couples, excited kids, hungry teens, and pleased parents.

The book's spare prose grasps the essence of the fair's main delights: Food ("So many things to eat and drink. So many choices."), games and prizes ("So many games to play."), and rides (And now, on to the RIDES!"). There are no animals in Crew's fair; this is strictly a food and rides extravaganza, at least during the night. The rides coverage spans 12 pages, culminating in "The best, the best ride of all...the GIANT FERRIS WHEEL!" The story concludes with a 2-page spread showing the fairgrounds from the top of the Ferris wheel, and a line of people happily leaving the grounds. As in a picture book, some of the ride pictures have no caption, it's as if Crews anticipated the awe of his young readers. The book has a big "WOW" factor, mainly due to Crews' outstanding feeling for the electric atmosphere of the fair.

Obviously, Crews idealizes the Fair: It is blanketed by uniformly happy customers in a clean and wholesome environment. I've experienced nothing quite like this. Even in the most controlled venues such as Disneyland, one invariably encounters crying toddlers, parents arguing with their kids and with each other, exorbitant prices, and long lines. However, since this is a book for kids, Crews wisely excludes these details. As a result, he recreates a child's bedazzling experience of a fair's excitement and wonder.

My four-year-old adores this book.......2000-09-26

We found this book at the library, and my four-year-old was delighted by it. He loves fairs, especially roller coasters and merry-go-rounds, and was sad when we had to return to this book to the library. Donald Crews' book School Bus is another favorite of his, and we've already added it to our collection. I intend to give a copy of Night at the Fair to my child for Christmas.

Crews does it again!.......1999-07-29

As a teacher and mother of three children I recommend this book. I want parents to remember that there need not be tons of text for a book to be a real learning expereince.Take the time to look at the illustrations and colors. Predict what is going to happen.We are lucky to have so many talented people to illustrate kid's books. Again, take the time to look and examine the pictures. Books that the parents do not like will probably not be liked by their children.

Disappointing on several levels.......1998-08-26

I am puzzled as to why this book is recommended for children ages 4-8. There is minimal text, and what text there is does little to advance the story line. The illustrations are eye catching from a distance, but up close are actually rather frightening--the people's faces are amorphous and blobby. My two children (ages 5 and nearly 4) love going to the fair, but they don't love this book.

Disappointing on several levels.......1998-08-24

I am perplexed as to why the reading level for this book is given as ages 4-8. The text is so minimal as to be almost useless in introducing young kids to the sights and sounds encountered at a fair. The illustrations, although bright and eye-catching at first glance, are actually rather scary if you scrutinize them. The people's faces are amorphous and blobby. My two young daughters (ages 5 and nearly 4) love fairs, but they are only lukewarm about this book.

Average customer rating:

Spellbinding
Not a great read
Almost unbelievably bad
Whimsy and Magic
Save Your Money

Propeller One-Way Night Coach: A Story
John Travolta
Manufacturer: Warner Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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John Travolta: King of Cool

ASIN: 0446522570

Customer Reviews:

Spellbinding.......2006-03-17

I am a big fan of this book. After all since 1983, John's appeared in Be Cool, Ladder 49, The Punisher, Basic, Domestic Disturbance, Swordfish, Lucky Numbers, Battlefield Earth, The General's Daughter, A Civil Action, Mad City, Face/Off, Michael, White Man's Burden, Broken Arrow, Shout, the Look Who's Talking franchise, The Experts, Perfect, Staying Alive and Two of a Kind-- so it's about time he did ANYTHING that his adoring public could find even the tiniest shred of his talent in -- Get Shorty and Pulp Fiction notwithstanding. I would urge Mr. Travolta to get a new agent.

Not a great read.......2003-05-06

I know it wasn't initally meant to be published as a mass-market novel, but that doesn't really excuse the fact that it isn't very good when it does reach the bookstore shelves. Short and poorly written, this story follows an 8 year old boy on his first plane trip. He is excited as this is his life-long dream - to fly in a plane. We also see a disturbing view of his mother who doesn't seem to be a model parent.

Overall, it was boring but blessedly short. A good actor Mr. Travolta may be, but an author he is not!

Almost unbelievably bad.......2002-10-02

Oh, my.

I knew I was in trouble when the author opened this book with a preening, excited section about how he wrote the book: How the idea came to him, how he spent many nights in the glorious process of writing, how all his friends just loved the editions he had printed up just for them.

Well... I'm sure when total strangers come up to you on the street and tell you how wonderful you are, when you have a large staff whose only purpose is to serve and please you, and when you are, sadly, a good ways down the hill on the left side of the bell curve, you might just think you can actually write.

Travolta can't. I feel sorry for the guy, he obviously put a lot of time and thought into this book. But it's just awful -- saccharine, cliched, repetitive, and worst of all, boring. There's just no story. A little kid rides a planes and likes it. The attempts at making it seem magical and enchanting are forced and poorly done.

And finally, horribly, worst of all: Travolta reads it himself, the entire thing, in what he imagines is the eager voice of a young boy. I still shudder thinking about it.

Whimsy and Magic.......2002-01-07

A refreshing and delightful tale of a young boy mesmerized at the prospect of airplanes and the wonder and possibilities within. In 1962, at the age of 8, he finally gets the opportunity to live this dream and board one of these silver creatures of the skies. His rather amazing mother chooses to go from Newark to Los Angeles, via the Propeller One-Way Night Coach, which leaves at 9 p.m. with stops in Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Chicago, Des Moines, Denver and Las Vegas, arriving in Los Angeles at 3 p.m. Due to an unexpected snowstorm and other twists and turns, the flight actually takes them much longer - with everything sparkling with magic and newness and wonder - and some truly amazing people along the way. Written as a children's story, I know of several little boys who will probably wear this book out.

Save Your Money.......2000-04-04

This book is so poorly written it should never have left the editors desk without being covered with red ink. John Travolta is a wonderful actor, but would benefit greatly from lessons if he should want to continue his "writing" career.

Average customer rating:

Very dissappointing
Enhanced with more than a hundred photographs
Page-Turner

Saturday Nights with Daddy at the Opry
Libby Leverett-Crew
Manufacturer: Thomas Nelson
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Artists, Architects & Photographers | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Entertainers | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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Memoirs | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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A Good-Natured Riot: The Birth of the Grand Ole Opry

Accessories:

ASIN: 1401601146

Book Description

Saturday Nights With Daddy at the Opry is both the story of growing up with a backstage pass to the entertainment world in Nashville as well as a heartwarming tale of a beautiful father-daughter relationship.

From the time she was a baby, Les Leverett, who was the official photographer for the Grand Ole Opry took his daughter, Libby, with him each Saturday evening to witness country music's greatest entertainers. Sometimes Libby carried his equipment, sometimes she played with the other children of Opry performers, but she was always observing.

Now some 40 years later, Libby Leverett-Crew touchingly remembers those Saturday nights with Minnie Pearl, Tex Ritter, Grandpa Jones, Roy Acuff, Dolly Parton, Porter Waggoner, Bill Monroe, Flatt and Scruggs, along with a few astronauts, muppets, ballet dancers, actors and actresses, and with Andy Warhol and kd lang thrown in.

Saturday Nights with Daddy at the Opry is a celebration of music and family-incredibly well written from one lucky daughter's perspective. Includes more than 100 photographs by Les Leverett.

Customer Reviews:

Very dissappointing .......2005-04-01

This promises to be something of a backstage look at the Grand Ole Opry, instead it's a more of a personal memoir with comments about country stars the author has known. While she writes quite a bit about Minnie Pearl, Grandpa Jones, Tex Ritter (hence the foreward is written by Tom & John Ritter, shortly before John's death), Dolly Parton, Porter Wagoner, Bill Monroe, Loretta Lynn, and John Hartford, and a few others are pictured and briefly commented on (Marty Stuart, Stringbean, Ricky Skaggs, The Whites, etc.) there are scores of Opry stars that don't even merit a mention. And over 35 of the "over 100 photographs" in the book are exclusively of Leverett-Crew's family without a star in the picture! And that's not counting the hefty amount of pictures that are with stars that also picture family members. Too bad the author did not just make this a book a history of her father's career (Les Leverett, a famed country music photographer) instead of this effort.

Enhanced with more than a hundred photographs.......2004-07-06

Saturday Nights With Daddy at The Opry by artist, writer, and photographer Libby Leverett-Crew is the biographical story of country music photographer Les Leverett as told by his daughter. As a little girl, Libby's father would take her along with him on his job as the official photographer for the Grand Ole Opry -- a position he held for over 30 years. This is not only a tribute to her father but also to the people (ranging from Dolly Parton and Minnie Pearl to Roy Acuff and Bill Monroe) who touched the lives of her family and the powerful impact a loving father has on the formative life of his daughter. Enhanced with more than a hundred photographs from her father, Saturday Nights With Daddy At The Opry is enthusiastically recommended reading -- especially for dedicated fans of the Grand Ole Opry.

Page-Turner.......2003-11-16

I picked it up to thumb through and couldn't put it down. It's beautifully written, full of photos, and absolutely fascinating. You don't have to be a country music buff to enjoy this book. It has great stories of many others from Andy Warhol to John Ritter. I felt like the proverbial fly on the wall. It's a must have, if only for the history lesson, but it's so much more.

Tales from the Thousand and One Nights (Penguin Classics)

Average customer rating:

A Fantastical World To Be Lived Through These Pages
A lifetime of entertaining stories
Fantastic Tales
Enjoyable easy reading to take you away to fantasy land.
Timeless stories for all!

Tales from the Thousand and One Nights (Penguin Classics)
Anonymous
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Classics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Historical | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0140442898

Customer Reviews:

A Fantastical World To Be Lived Through These Pages.......2007-06-21

A collection of tales mostly of Persian, Indian, and Egyptian origin. Legend has it that Shahrazad, to prolong her life, told these tales to the king each night over 1,001 nights. In the end, the king let her lived as he had fallen in love with her. What a delightful legend!

In reality, these tales are most likely a collection that were handed down over time very much like folk tales in our Western world. They are fantastical stories in many cases involving jinnees and magical islands and far off lands and mysterious animals and beautiful women and enchanted lamps and....well, it goes on and on! There are some common themes: poor, common men become wealthy beyond their wildest dreams and eventually become kings, women are (usually) portrayed as deceitful and conniving, and at the center is religion.

An entertaining and fascinating book for children and adults, although there are some stories that might need to be monitored by adults for children - the stories can be a little bawdy! But there are so many good ones here, such as Sindbad and his voyages and Aladin. However, the other stories are just as entertaining, too, such as the hilarious Historical Fart and introspective The Dream. I'm normally not a fan of fantasy fiction, but these are easy to read and easy to follow and allow the read to let their imagination just go to the four winds. Wonderful book!

A lifetime of entertaining stories.......2005-04-28

What a great book. These stories are extremely old from places such as Persia and India with a mostly arabic influence. The introduction gives great historical insight about the various tales. Of all the translated versions of these classic stories, and what was probably much more complicated original prose, I find Mr Dawood's translations simple and fun to read. The stories are rich with adventure and fantasy. Mr Dawood does an excellent job of keeping the stories down-to-earth and entertaining. Those who enjoy cryptic, esoteric literature will enjoy losing themselves in the intertwining stories of this book. With a simplistic style of story-telling, it is still intricate enough to keep one immersed. Those who already enjoy simple stories will be intrigued by the unique storylines and plots. For young, impressionable readers, the tales have no religious overtones or underlying political agenda and women are revered and respected. I first read this book when I was 12, and continue to enjoy and re-read the stories well into adulthood.

Fantastic Tales.......2002-06-14

This book is a selection of the choicest tales from the Thousand and One Nights. The translator, N.J. Dawood, also translated the Koran for the Penguin Classics series. Dawood explains in the introduction that the first of these tales appeared in a written form around 850 C.E., in a book called, "A Thousand Legends." More tales, of lesser quality, were added over the years until an anonymous editor in Cairo finally codified them in the 18th century. A French version of some of the stories appeared in the 17th century, and was followed by several English versions in the 19th century; the best known adaptation came from Sir Richard Burton, in 10 volumes. The stories are a mix of Arabic, Persian, and Indian tales and appear to have been written in response to classical Arabic literature. The Arabs do not consider them part of the classic canon, and after reading these stories, I can see why. They are aggressive and highly sexualized, and are loaded with sorcery, fantasy, and criticism of authority figures.

Whatever their origins and means of transmission, these are excellent and entertaining stories. I cannot think of one tale in this selection that I did not like. Included in the book is the instantly recognizable Aladdin story, as well as the Sinbad voyages. Other tales are just as interesting: "The Tale of the Hunchback," "The Tale of Judar and his Brothers," "The Porter and the Three Girls of Baghdad," and many others. Many of these stories are cycles; they have stories within stories, as characters in one story tell their own stories. At the end of the cycle, the story is cleverly wrapped up, usually with a happy ending. I do not think I need to go into detail about Aladdin or Sinbad, except to say that I was surprised to see Aladdin described as Chinese. Providing details to these stories would be useless anyway because they are so detailed as to be impervious to summary.

There is no doubt that many of these stories started as oral stories, and retained that shape into the written versions. The best example is the Sinbad cycle. All of the stories in this cycle are framed in the same way. This repetition made it easier to memorize the stories, or at least the basic outline. A good storyteller could take the frame and fill in the blanks with whatever his heart desired. You often see this kind of writing in the Bible.

Social roles and class play a large part in these stories. Women are presented as wily and dangerous, but not always. Several stories show men trying to pull fast ones on the ladies, with the results much to the detriment of the men. Many stories show how the high and mighty come crashing down, or how the lowly are elevated to great status. These movements are attributed to the grace or condemnation of Allah, and the characters all act out their movements with Allah close by.

You will not go wrong with this book. These are immensely entertaining stories for both children and adults, although you might want to find a toned down version for the kiddies. Why? I am thinking about the tale where a man and some women play "name that body part." My only criticism of this version is that the tale of "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" is absent. I have no idea why it is missing, but the book loses one star for this grave omission.

Enjoyable easy reading to take you away to fantasy land........2001-03-27

This book is translated by a person named N.J. Darwood. It's simply wonderful. The tales involved are tales of the Persian Gulf, of Bagdhad, Arabia, and tales that we as adults should revisit for some enjoyable light reading that will make us smile and wonder at the old folklore of the Arabian Peninsula. Sinbad the Sailor is in there, as is Aladdin in it's original form, and the story begins of a king who is so upset by his wife's unfaithfulness that he will now only accept virgins for one night and then have them killed. A smart virgin begins her night with the infamous king by telling him stories, and she so fascinates him and enthralls him with her tales that the tales turn into folklore for readers of the ages. I won't tell you what happens in the end to the virgin princess, but you will find humor, enchantment, wisdom and fantasy for those times when stress becomes a factor in your life. I highly recommend the tale of "The Historic Fart" as a both funny and inspiring tale of human nature. Please buy this book and remember to become a nine -12 year old again as you read with curiosity and wonder at the fabulous enchanting, lively stories. I was beginning to wish my children were a bit younger so I could read these to them. Any child would enjoy these stories, and any adult will find them simply relaxing and a reflection of medieval Islam.

Timeless stories for all!.......2001-01-03

The stories in the Thousand and One Nights never seem to grow old and captivate readers, both young and old. Dawood's translations are faithfull to the original stories while giving a firm footing in the present. This is one of the most enjoyable books I've read in quite a while. If you think you know the stories of Aladdin, Sinbad the Sailor, or Ali Baba from movies then think again. These tales in their original form are timeless!

Tales From The Arabian Nights: Ali Baba And The Forty Thieves And Other Stories (Junior Classics)

Average customer rating:

Terrific stories for road travel with young kids
Reddragon
Magnificent!
An excellent collection

Tales From The Arabian Nights: Ali Baba And The Forty Thieves And Other Stories (Junior Classics)

Manufacturer: Naxos Audiobooks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: 9626343273

Book Description

26 magical tales of beautiful princesses, genies who emerge from bottles, and talking birds in: "Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp," "Sinbad the Sailor," "Noureddin and the Fair Persian," "Merchant of Bagdad," and more. 66 illustrations.

Download Description

A collection of 26 tales told by Scheherazade to save herself and other young girls from death at the Sultan's hands.

Customer Reviews:

Terrific stories for road travel with young kids.......2007-06-08

I bought this for my two sons, ages 7 & 9. We put it in at the beginning of a 2.5 hour trip and it kept our entire family very entertained. The trip flew by.

Reddragon.......2007-03-30

The product came quickly. It was exactly as advetised and met expectations. Thank You.

Magnificent!.......2003-12-08

This book is awesome! I read it 3 years ago and I borrowed it again from my aunt and I'm reading it now. If anyone knows where I can get a copy of the Reader's Digest version please post. Thanks!

An excellent collection.......1999-04-12

My four children and I loved reading this collection of stories from Arabia. Though I highly recommend any book by Mr. Lang, The Arabian Nights Entertainments is my favorite. Happy reading!

The Rose's Smile: Farizad of the Arabian Nights

Average customer rating:

An intriguing and beautifully illustrated tale

The Rose's Smile: Farizad of the Arabian Nights
David Kherdian
Manufacturer: Henry Holth & Co (J)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: School & Library Binding

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ASIN: 0805039120

Customer Reviews:

An intriguing and beautifully illustrated tale.......2004-11-28

Although I am well-versed in Greek mythology and to a lesser extent Norse, Korean and Hebrew mythology, Persian and Arabian mythology has always eluded me. This story, however, has just sparked an interest.

Joseph Campbell postulated years ago that Iran/Iraq was the starting point for much of Western (and some Eastern) mythology and culture. This story has elements of the stories of Cupid and Psyche, Perseus and Medusa, Moses and celestial/divine sun and moon twins. It also has enough "What?!?" moments to intrigue- but not confuse- the young reader (not to give anything away, but remember puppies and mice as you read). It also isn't morally perfect- although there is a neat happy ending, the reader is left wondering whether all of the characters in the story were treated justly. Again, not enough to inspire indignation, but perhaps enough to ask "Why?"

The book is richly illustrated on backgrounds of muted colors interlaid with lush depictions of characters and places. The style it reminded me the most of was exaggerated late Medieval art, but of course also Persian and even some Indian art (both of which I am much less familiar with).

My five-year-old and I loved this story, and my more jaded ten-year-old was transfixed by it as well. Anyone of any age interested in world mythology or plain old great storytelling should take a look.

Average customer rating:

Arabian Nights: Childrens Classics
Rene Bull
Manufacturer: Random House Value Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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