Tales from the Arabian Nights [Paperback]

C. Lang (Author), Andrew Lang (Editor)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

The beautiful Scheherazade's royal husband threatens to kill her, so each night she diverts him by weaving wonderful tales of fantastic adventure, leaving each story unfinished so that he spares her life to hear the ending the next night. This is the background to the Arabian Nights. In this selection made by that master of folklore and fairy-tale Andrew Lang, the reader meets Aladdin with his wonderful lamp, the Enchanted Horse, the Princess Badoura, Sinbad the Sailor, and the great Caliph of Bagdad, Haroun-al-Raschid.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, Arabic (translation) --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From the Publisher

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Wordsworth Editions Ltd (April 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1853261149
• ISBN-13: 978-1853261145
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #182,537 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #81 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Literature > Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths > Multicultural

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Arabian Nights, May 18, 2011

By 

Donrey - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Arabian Nights (Kindle Edition)

This is a sanitized childrens version of the classic novel made famous many decades ago. It is missing the critical "adult" thread of why the stories are being told; the woman telling erotic and exotic stories to the king to entertain him and entice him with wanting to hear more so she may live... Without this element, this merely becomes is a nice collection of fairy tails randomly sited.

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good for kids ages 4+, October 22, 2008

By 

C. Racciato (Fallbrook, CA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Tales from the Arabian Nights: Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves and Other Stories (Junior Classics) (Audio CD)

I recently purchased this CD set for my daughters to listen to in the car and at bed time. I was impressed with how much they enjoyed it. Several times we have had to sit in the car for a few minute after getting home so that they could hear the end of a chapter.

Now, as for the stories themselves, be warned. These are NOT polished up, dumbed-down, sanitized disney versions. The language used is age appropriate for young listeners. However, there is a body count, and there is a scene where somebody dumps boiling oil in the jars with the murdering thieves. It is not particularly graphic, but if you have concerns about that kind of thing, you really should listen to the stories yourself before letting your kids hear them. Also, these are stories from the middle east, so there are several mentions throughout the stories to Allah. They are handled in a religiously neutral fashion, and only serve to remind the listener that the stories are from another culture. It is not some back door attempt to convert kids to Islam. All that being said, these are relatively good versions of the traditional stories. They are fun to listen to. I probably enjoyed them as much as the kids did. The narrator is engaging, and his delivery is excellent. I would recommend these CDs to anybody who is interested in introducing kids to the stories of Arabian Nights.

-CR

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Choppy, Censored, Child-safe?, May 4, 2009

By 

Ana Mardoll (United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Arabian Nights Entertainments (Dover Children's Classics) (Paperback)

The Arabian Nights / 0-486-22289-6

This is not a complete compilation of the classic 'Arabian Nights' tales, but rather several select tales, and has been heavily abridged for children readers. Much of the sexual and bawdy content has been taken out (although there's still a pretty hefty dead body count), largely by heavily editing chunks of the story out of existence. This can be rather baffling, as some of the stories haven't been "edited" so much as left with huge gaps. As such, when I read these stories as I child, I was fascinated but deeply confused at the lack of any kind of resolution in several of the stories. Having read the "adult" 'Arabian Nights' tales since then, that confusion has been cleared up.

This is not a bad adaptation for children, but I would have preferred a more carefully edited version, rather than one with somewhat sloppy cuts that left me, even as a child, aware that something was missing. Still, this is a good introduction to children of the magic of the Arabian Nights tales, and this book will be a well-loved addition to any child's library.

~ Ana Mardoll