Customer Reviews

Sindbad (English): From the Tales of the Thousand and One Nights

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book covers two of Sindbad's seven voyages. Children who like exciting adventure stories will be thrilled by Sindbad's visit to the mysterious island that turns out be a gigantic whale, his ride on the talons of the great Roc, and his escape from the pit of vipers with pockets full of precious diamonds. The beautiful illustrations are bordered with motifs from Persian rugs, capturing the Arabian flavor of Shahrazad's tale.

Ludmila Zeman is a brilliant artist and solid storyteller. This beginning book in her Sindbad trilogy tells of two events on Sindbad's seven voyages. But first Zeman sets the scene by very briefly telling us the story of Shahrazad and how she saved her life by telling stories such as these to a cruel king. This book tells tales of how Sindbad mistook a whale for an island, how he mistook a Roc's egg for a mountain and was carried by that Roc into a pit of jewels and deadly serpents. While the story, of course is entertaining, the illustration is breathtaking. Ms. Zeman explains in an Author's Note at the back how she "wanted to recognize Persian influence in the art of book illustration, calligraphy, layout, illumination, and border decoration." Thus she has created illustrations of high detail and authentic ethnicity to accompany the tale, truly blending the art with the story to bring a credible presentation of a Persian legend.

While the publisher has recommend the book for ages 6+, I think the writing style is somewhat mature for the younger audience, and even though this is a picture book, I personally would recommend for ages 8 and up. No one is too old to read this tale, appreciate the art and glean information from the Author's Note.

The art in this book is very charming, but we found the story-telling to be a bit stiff in places. Still, it's a great way to introduce younger children to Sindbad.