Editorial Review

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Reviews (80)

Tikki Tikki Tembo
I loved this book as a child, my sister and I would go around saying the tongue twister name over and over!We would try and out do each other by who could say it the fastest.Now she is adopting a beautiful daughter from China and I thought this is the perfect book for my new neice.She will be able to enjoy this fun story of two brothers who not only play well together but help each other when one is in trouble, like falling into a well.It teaches children that even if they are not the first born they are just as special.

Tikki Tikki Tembo
Love this book. Read it as a child, and now read it to my child.

One of my favorite read-aloud book during elementary school.
When I was in kindergarten, our teacher played the cassette for our class as she turned the pages of the book...letting us hear the story as it unfolded. It has left a lasting impression, which Iwill pass to my kids. I have wanted to get a copy of it because I loved the tongue twister name and I'm happy to see Amazon carries it.
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Subjects:  1. Children's 4-8 - Picturebooks    2. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    3. Children: Kindergarten    4. China    5. Fairy Tales & Folklore - Asian    6. Fairy Tales & Folklore - Single Title    7. Fiction    8. Folklore    9. Names, Personal   

Editorial Review

Exotic, beautiful, and instructive, this "mathematical folktale" by author-illustrator Demi emerged from her love of India. The narrative and the evocative illustrations combine to create a real sense of the culture and atmosphere of this romantic land. Read more

Reviews (17)

A lot to learn, including girl-power
This is Demi's re-telling of an old folktale of a king who orders that all rice in his kingdom must be stored in the royal granaries so that there would be food in times of famine; but when his people start to go hungry, he refuses to open the granaries, claiming that the situation was not bad enough to warrant doing so - until a small child outsmarts him by asking for a grain of rice doubled every day for a month.
a tale to delight both young and old
My daughter is three and loves this book -- not just for the gorgeous fold-out illustrated spread of the caravan of elephants carrying the rice on the 30th day -- but because she can follow along with the story.The tale is of a rich greedy rajah who doesn't want to share, but is then outwitted by a young girl and forced to give up all the grain in his storehouses.At the end, he is humbled and vows to be a more fair and wise ruler.My daughter loves to sit with one grain of rice in her hand like Rani on the title page of the book.I can see her forming rudimentary mathematical concepts, but I won't push it.There's plenty of time to return to this book when we introduce the times tables.
One grain of rice = many valuable lessons for students
One Grain of RIce is not only a bookof math, it is also a folktale.It shows how rice can grow from one grain, to two grains,to four grains, to 8 grains to 16 grains and all the way up to a whole barn full of grain.
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Subjects:  1. Children's 4-8 - Picturebooks    2. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    3. Children: Grades 1-2    4. Fairy Tales & Folklore - Asian    5. Fairy Tales & Folklore - Single Title    6. Folklore    7. India    8. Juvenile Fiction    9. Mathematics    10. Science & Technology    11. Science & Technology - Mathematics    12. Juvenile Fiction / Fairy Tales & Folklore / Country & Ethnic   

Reviews (6)

Yeh-Shen
Both of my children have had this book read to them at school and loved it.We had to own it.

china cinderella
did not liked the book, I thought the pictures were going to be brighter.Excellent delivery.

Not appropriate for young children
I am very enthusiastic about exposing my children to different cultures and ideas, and when I saw this book and read the reviews on Amazon, I was excited to get it for my girls.When the book arrived, I read it immediately.The story and the pictures are beautiful.I liked everything until the very last sentence of the book -- I was very surprised to read that Yeh-Shen's stepmother and stepsister were "crushed to death in a shower of flying stones."Although I understand that this may be part of the original story, I am giving this book one star because it is supposed to be appropriate for children 4-8.I don't believe, with such a violent and disturbing ending, that it is appropriate for this age group. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's 4-8 - Picturebooks    2. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    3. Children: Kindergarten    4. China    5. Fairy Tales & Folklore - Asian    6. Folklore    7. Juvenile Fiction / Fairy Tales & Folklore / Single Title   

Reviews (18)

get a better edition than this one
type smudges / translation bad / in short, a disposable book

bad, bad, bad
Who published these weak translations?Yup, they are on newsprint and get smudged immediately.How about using real paper?B&N needs to stop thinking opportunistically and start thinking about quality.

Grimm brother's fairy tales a little less grim
These are the classic fairy tales that we heard as children, but they are not the original grim fairy tales written by the Grimm brothers.If you are looking to have a copy of the grim Grimm brothers then keep looking. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bargain Books    2. Classics    3. Fairy tales    4. Folklore    5. Germany    6. Sale Adult - Children's Books - Ages 9-12    7. Fairy tales, folk tales, fables, magical tales & traditional stories    8. Juvenile Fiction / Classics    9. Sale Books   

Editorial Review

In older versions of the classic tale Read more

Reviews (38)

Beautiful Illustrations-captures my daughters imagination
This book has beautiful illustrations that ask for long leisurely looks- perfect for a pre-reader looking for the story in the pictures.The story itself is well told and holds the attention of my 5 year old girl.

Rapunzel: always a favorite!
This book captures my little ladies' hearts and imagination. Wonderful illustrations and beautiful use of the English language. We began using it to learn vocabulary when my daughter was 3 and she still loves this one at age 6! A delight for the whole family.

Stunning images
I'm amazed by Zelinsky's gift at art! The tower (that tall, slender thing doesn't look very believable to me) doesn't really impress me, but that's just a minor complaint that I have (aside from that Rapunzel and her prince could have gotten to know each other before the marriage).
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Subjects:  1. Children's 4-8 - Picturebooks    2. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    3. Children: Grades 2-3    4. Fairy Tales & Folklore - European    5. Fairy Tales & Folklore - General    6. Fairy Tales & Folklore - Single Title    7. Fairy tales    8. Folklore    9. Germany    10. Juvenile Fiction    11. Juvenile Fiction / Fairy Tales & Folklore / Single Title   

Reviews (7)

Five Stars from a Texan
As a Texan, I had to have this book for my 4 month girl. Obviously, she is too young to understand the text, but as soon as she is old enough I will not hesitate to continue reading this book to her. It is so beautifully written and the illustrations are wonderful, as Tomie dePaola's illustrations always are. The lessons of selflessness and sacrifice are invaluable. And it gives a perfect opportunity to discuss such realities of life as being orphaned and loneliness in a non-threatening way if the proper discussion between parent and child accompanies the book.

Happy Customer
Wonderful prompt service.Couldn't be happier. Book was in wonderful condition!

This was my favorite story when...
This was my favorite story when I was a child. I love how it tells of a young girl who chooses to give up something she loves for her family and people... I read this book whenever I could in school. Now that I teach pre school I get to share the beauty of this story with my class and they love it too...In Texas you see them everywhere in late March to early May. I use to think it was funny but now I have to wonder why, when you see a bluebonnet an Indian paintbrush isn't that far away? ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bluebonnets (Lupines)    2. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    3. Children: Kindergarten    4. Comanche Indians    5. Fairy Tales & Folklore - Native American    6. Folklore    7. Indians of North America    8. Texas    9. Fairy tales, folk tales, fables, magical tales & traditional stories    10. Juvenile Fiction / Ethnic / Native American    11. Picture books   

Reviews (3)

cultural mythology
I bought this book for a grandchild.I grew up with the stories and want to share them and the characters with him.Who hasn't heard of at least one of the characters in the book: Paul Bunyan, Davy Crockett?
Excellent Collection...
This is an excellent collection of american folktales which both I and my siblings have enjoyed.It is well written and very enjoyable on the whole.

Great Folktale Collection
I had to buy this book for an education class i am taking, and I very much enjoyed it.It is a wonderfully told collection of American Folk Tales which both me and my siblings have enjoyed. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's 9-12    2. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Fiction    3. Children: Grades 2-3    4. Fairy Tales & Folklore - American    5. Fairy Tales & Folklore - Anthologies    6. Fairy Tales & Folklore - Collections by Author    7. Folklore    8. Historical - United States - General    9. Juvenile Fiction    10. Tales    11. Tall tales    12. United States    13. Juvenile Fiction / Fairy Tales & Folklore / Collections by a Single Author   

Reviews (2)

Delightful
I was fortunate to hear the author speak in the early 90s in my hometown of Syracuse, NY.He is an engaging storyteller.It was then that I discovered his book.The artwork in this edition is rich and appealing.The vignettes of each moon, combined with the illustrations, make an appealing canvas for young and/or exploring minds.

Traditional View of Seasonal meanings
This book is an excellent work of Native American children's literature.Joseph Bruchac is a well-known Abenaki story-teller who profiles in this book the thirteen moons of the year, and profiles for each moon what isimportant about that season to different Native Nations.The artwork is abeautiful compliment to the story.If you are looking for a solid andsensitive look at inter-tribal stories for children, this is a great placeto start! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Nonfiction    2. Children's poetry, American    3. Children: Grades 2-3    4. Folklore    5. Indians of North America    6. Juvenile Nonfiction    7. Juvenile poetry    8. People & Places - United States - Native American    9. Poetry - General    10. Seasons    11. Juvenile Nonfiction / Poetry / General   

Reviews (12)

166 Quickies
Sorting through many of the American Indian Myths (As if there was a homogenized group called American Indians) Richard Erdoes and Alfonzo Ortiz selected 166 short, one or two page, stories. These stories look like the pre-curser to the urban legends today.
Fantastic Collection of Stories from the First Nations
Richard Erdoes and Alfonso Ortiz really did a wonderful job putting together this compilation. Taking various stories from North America, the duo covers traditional tales of everyone from the Aleut to the Toltecs and pretty much everything in between. Every region and culture group is represented, and tales from well known Nations such as the Cherokee, Lakota, Dine (Navajo), Apache and Iroquois appear beside those of less well known (but no less vibrant and culturally active) Nations such as the Miwok, Caddo, Metis and Shasta. Hopefully this will help expand people's views of Native American culture. After all, stereotypical views of "Indians" rarely include the Nations of California or the Pacific Northwest, or even the Southern Woodlands (the original homeland of the Cherokee and their neighbors). Obviously not every Nation could be represented, but this is still an excellent survey of the continent. It does a wonderful job showing how common cultural themes have woven their way across this entire continent, helping to reinforce the culture and customs of the First Nations. And at the same time, it also shows how each culture was different, having its own beliefs, customs and practices unique to themselves. Good storyteller
Adult storybook....Read more

Subjects:  1. Ethnic Studies - Native American Studies    2. Folklore    3. Folklore & Mythology    4. Folklore & Mythology - Mythology    5. Indian mythology    6. Indians of North America    7. Legends    8. Literature: Folklore/Mythology    9. North America    10. Northwest, Pacific    11. Social Science    12. Sociology    13. Fiction / Fairy Tales    14. Myth & legend told as fiction   

Reviews (5)

IT WAS OK
This book is only some dragon stories selected from different books and myths( like The Hobbit and The Voyge of the Dawn Treader),but is still a pretty well done book, you will probably enjoy it if you REALLY like dragons.

11 year old Dragon lover gives big thumbs up!
I've read a few of the stories so far and I'm looking forward to reading more.So far I've read "The Dragon Tamers", "Perseus and Andromeda", "The Flower Queen's Daughter," "Bilbo Baggins and Smaug", "The Devil and his Grandmother", and "The Good Sword."All of the stories really held my attention and I couldn't put the book down. The only better Dragon book I've read is "Eldest."- by Louis, age 11

It was so good
I liked all the different stories.There were some stories from books that I had read before like one about Smog the dragon from The Hobbit. There were also some pretty funny dragon stories.Overall there was a nice mix of dragon stories.I highly recommend this book to kids from about age 8 and up. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animals - Dragons    2. Animals - Mythical    3. Anthologies    4. Children's 9-12 - Fiction - Fantasy    5. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Fiction    6. Children's stories    7. Children: Grades 4-6    8. Dragons    9. Fantasy    10. Fiction    11. Juvenile Fiction    12. Juvenile Science Fiction / Fantasy    13. Juvenile Short Story Collections    14. Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic    15. Short Stories    16. Collections & anthologies of various literary forms    17. Fiction anthologies & collections    18. Juvenile Fiction / Legends, Myths, Fables / General   

Editorial Review

Paul O. Zelinsky, 1998 Caldecott medalist for Read more

Reviews (22)

Great pictures
The pictures in this book are very nice. My 5-year old loves to hear it as a story before going to sleep. The ending of the story is also suitable for this age, since Rumpelstiltskin ends up flying out the window, instead of something more tragic happening to him.

fairy tale told true
This is a lovely version of the classic Rumpelstiltskin. I enjoyed reading it with my third graders. The illustrations are beautiful and spark the imagination. A good story demonstrates struggle and challenges the students to compare present day expectations with the past.

Rumpelstilskin
I wanted a classic children's fairy tale story with handsome illustrations.I got just what I wanted with this book.I have a 3 1/2 year old and it is the perfect length for bedtime. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's 4-8 - Picturebooks    2. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    3. Children: Grades 1-2    4. Fairy Tales & Folklore - European    5. Fairy Tales & Folklore - Single Title    6. Fairy tales    7. Folklore    8. Germany    9. Juvenile Fiction / Fairy Tales & Folklore / Anthologies   

Editorial Review

Three little girls spare no mercy to Lon Po Po, the granny wolf, in this version of Little Red Riding Hood where they tempt her up a tree and over a limb, to her death. The girls' frightened eyes are juxtaposed against Lon Po Po's menacing squint and whirling blue costume in one of the books numerous three-picture sequences, which resemble the decorative panels of Chinese tradition. Through mixing abstract and realistic images with complex use of color and shadow, artist and translator Young has transformed a simple fairy tail into a remarkable work of art and earned the 1990 Caldecott Medal in doing so. ... Read more

Reviews (22)

terrified mother
The story goes beyond bad. This is a story of three little girls that torture and kill the wolf in a premeditated way. My 4 year-old son was very sad after someone read the story to him in a school interview to preschool. He said to me that it was a bad story, and the girls have done "bad choices". I can't believe this is in the list of books recommended for 4 and 5's.

Clever girls defeat the wolf
This is a rare childrens book about how three little girls defeat the wolf. It's not about how beautiful they are or are not but on the choices they make. It's a story I love to read to my 18 month old baby. She often asks her father and I to read it to her. Plus, the art work is stunning.

Lon Po Po
This is an excellent book.My 5 year old son had checked it out several times from the library and asked for it for his birthday. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's 4-8 - Fiction - General    2. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    3. Children: Kindergarten    4. China    5. Folklore    6. Folklore & Mythology    7. General    8. Juvenile Fiction / Fairy Tales & Folklore / Single Title   

Reviews (24)

I read this book when I was a kid!
Can you imagine my surprise when I encountered this book on Amazon.com!
Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters
Wonderful book about Manyara and Nyasha, daughters of an African King.This books shows that beauty comes from within.Manyara is a selfish sister and wants nothing more than to be queen and she will stop at nothing to be it. Nyasha is kind and loving and only wants to be happy. She sees the beauty in nature and people. A king from the neighboring town is searching for a wife and immediately Manyara wants to be queen. Manyara gets up early and sneaks to the village of the King but she is met by a little boy who wants food, and a elderly woman whom she is told to be kind too. She doesnt give the boy food and is verbally mean to the old woman. Nyasha goes through the forest and finds the same people but this time she gives food to the little boy. She is met by a woman who points the way to the city and she is kind to her and gives her sunflower seeds.As they approach the city, Manyara runs out and crying saying that she saw a snake with 5 heads and was telling her how rotten of a person she is. Nyasha is brave and walks in only to a find a simple snake for whom she was friends with.He tells her that he is the king and the elderly woman and little boy in the forest.He then asks her to be his queen because she is the most beautiful and kindhearted of them all.

a beautiful African folk tale
This story is based on an African tale that is similar in nature to Cinderella. In this story a man named Mufaro had two beautiful daughters, one named Manyara, and one named Nyasha. Manyara is rude to Nyasha, who just calmly bears it. When a call comes saying the Great King wants a wife, Mufaro plans to take his daughters to the palace the next day. Manyara decides to leave in the night to make she is chosen to be Queen. During the journey she is rude to a number of people, who turn out to be the King himself, shape-shifted into those forms as well as the form of a garden snake well-known to Nyasha. When Nyasha passes the next day, she is kind where her sister was rude. Needless to say the King picks Nyasha, and they live happily.
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Subjects:  1. 1987    2. Africa    3. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    4. Children: Grades 2-3    5. Fairy Tales & Folklore - African    6. Fairy tales    7. Fiction    8. Legends, Myths, & Fables - General    9. New York (N.Y.)    10. People & Places - Africa    11. Juvenile Fiction / Legends, Myths, Fables / General   

Editorial Review

Anansi the Spider is a wise, funny, mischievous, and loveable folk hero who pops up in traditional Ashanti tales from Ghana, in West Africa. This story, retold and illustrated by Gerald McDermott, relates the tale of father Anansi and his six spider sons. When Anansi sets out on a dangerous journey and gets into all sorts of trouble, each son does one thing to help, and all their efforts together save their father. He finds a mysterious, beautiful globe of light in the forest, and decides to make it a gift of thanks. But which son should receive the prize? Even with the help of Nyame, the God of All Things, he can't decide, so Nyame takes the great globe up into the sky, and that's where it has stayed ever since--the moon, for all to see. This profound story reaches children of many ages; younger ones see it as an exciting rescue story, but older children are intrigued by the larger themes of cooperation and "the whole being more than its parts." Read more

Reviews (9)

A Popular Book in Our Home - a review of "Anansi the Spider"
Anansi and his sons are popular guys in our home.My son and daughter (nearly 4 and 6) just adore them, and I enjoy the fact that this book demonstrates how well cooperation works.Not to mention that we get to discuss the story, Ghana, and how people are both like us *and* are different from us.
Vibrant, vivid illustration and a wonderful tale
The Anansi stories have been handed down through generations of Ashanti culture. This book is a wonderful, vibrant and vivid story for children of all ages. Born in Ghana I left at aged 3, leaving much of the Ghanaian culture behind. At aged 30 I can still remember a song about Anansi the spider, the only remnants left of my native tongue. I was given the Anansi book as a child, it captivated me, I read it over and over again, and it provided a connection to my past. At 16, I spent hours crafting a cushion embroidered an illustration from the book that was a childhood favorite.Sadly, the book was lost and I never thought I could get it again. Now, some 14 years since I last saw the book I can still visualize the pictures and hear the wonderful tale of Anansi the spider, his sons and the moon. I have just bought two copies, one for my niece and one for my two year old daughter. I absolutely cannot wait to read them again and again and pass this memorable story to a new generation.

Anansi
Anansi is one cool African trickster, and he does it again in this book!When he tries to determine which of his six sons to reward for saving his life, he becomes responsible for putting the moon in the sky. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Africa    2. Anansi (Legendary character)    3. Ashanti (African people)    4. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    5. Children: Grades 2-3    6. Fairy Tales & Folklore - African    7. Folklore    8. Fairy tales, folk tales, fables, magical tales & traditional stories   

Editorial Review

Charles Perrault first published his collection of classic French folk tales 300 years ago, including "Cinderella," "Sleeping Beauty," and this entertaining story about a most clever feline. In Read more

Reviews (9)

A well earned Caldecott
Puss in boots is always an enjoyable tale, probably because it is so based on wit.
Zee puss in zee boots
It shouldn't surprise anyone that the stock of "Puss In Boots" went up when "Shrek 2" came out in theaters.Suddenly that little cat with the fancy footwear was garnering a lot more interest than he ever had before.I've always wondered why this fairy tale was ignored by the Disney animation studios in their heyday.Now if you're looking for the quintessential version of the tale, there are really only two illustrators to pick between.You can either choose the multi-talented Fred Marcellino version (responsible for some of my favorite picture books like, "I, Crocodile" and "The Story of Little Babaji") or you can go the Paul Galdone route.I personally have always found Galdone to be a bit of a bore, except in the cat department.For some reason, Galdone was always particularly good at drawing amusing felines.I'm not entirely certain why Amazon.com has decided to link these two titles with one set of reviews, but just to clear everything up I'd like to state that for all its charms I'm eschewing the Paul Galdone version of "Puss" and instead reviewing the Marcellino version in its stead.May God have mercy on my soul.
A Review of the Paul Galdone's "Puss In Boots"
I am going to start this review by pointing out that most, if not all, of the reviews on this page are NOT for the "Paul Galdone" version of "Puss In Boots.In fact, these same reviews appear on the pages for the "Fred Marcellino" illustrated version.
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Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    2. Children: Grades 1-2    3. Classics    4. Fairy tales    5. Folklore    6. France    7. Juvenile Literature   

Reviews (6)

Great story
I really enjoyed this version of Cinderella, I also liked how Climo included a little behind the scenes of the folktale on the back pages. I'm not the biggest fan of the illustrations however, I liked the patterns that were worked onto the pages, but the faces of the characters were sort of weird and disturbing at times, I wasn't drawn into the Pear Blossom's beauty they way I would have liked to have been (as was described in Climo's words)

Korean Cinderella
The book is about a girl name Pear blossom. After her mothers death, her fater remarried a woman who had another child with another man. Pear blossom's step-sister, Peony is ugly compared to Pear blossom. Peony's mother is jealous of Pear blossom's beauty so she makes Pear blossom do every single chore in the house. One day, The magistrate see's Pear Blossom one day but when he called her, she just ran away with one shoe. The magistrate takes the shoe and goes around trying to find the owner of the shoe. I thought this book is kind of boring because it is very similar to the other cinderella books. This book is no different then the other cinderella books.

Another Cinderella
There are as many as a half dozen versions of Cinderella in Korea. The Korean Cinderella by Shirley Climo is a combination of three Korean variations.
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Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    2. Children: Grades 1-2    3. Fairy Tales & Folklore - Asian    4. Fairy tales    5. Folklore    6. Korea    7. Juvenile Fiction / Ethnic / Other   

Editorial Review

Golem is the Hebrew word for shapeless man. According to Jewish legend, the renowned scholar and teacher Rabbi Loew used his powers to create a Golem from clay in order to protect his people from persecution in the ghettos of 16th-century Prague. (This was the time of the Blood Lie, when hostile gentiles claimed that Jews were mixing the blood of Christian children with the flour and water of matzo.) David Wisniewski's cut-paper collage illustrations--which earned him the Caldecott Medal in 1997--are the ideal medium for portraying the stark black-and-white forces of good and evil, pride and prejudice, as well as the gray area that emerges when the tormented clay giant loses control of his anger. Echoing the tension and mood of Frankenstein, Wisniewski sends the tragic giant back to the blood red earth that birthed him. The historical note on the last page offers a broader context for the legend, ultimately comparing the creation of Golem to the emergence of Israel. (Ages 8 and older) Read more

Reviews (20)

Poignant
This is one of my favorite books.Exquisite.Although intended as a "children's" book--the stunning artwork is geared toward youth--the deceptively simple story is probably better appreciated by adults.This is the inspiration behind all the Frankenstein, android, robot, purpose of life tales.What does it mean to be "alive?"How do we reconcile a belief in god with mortality?Because of this the story can be disturbing, for the moral seems to be that we are but instruments whose life may be ended by the creator when our purpose is finished.The golem, purpose be damned, stops to watch a sunrise.
Sad and Somber
Golem is a unique retelling of an old myth in Prague. In the year 1580 many people in Prague believed that the Jews were doing terrible things...like drinking the blood of missing children. Locked away and left defenseless, one great Jewish leader named Rabbi Loew used his vast knowledge of the Cabala to create a giant. This giant, named Golem, was created for one purpose only...to protect the Jews from harm. Once the Jews are no longer threatened Golem will become the lump of clay he was to begin with.
A clay man in Prague
People learn about the myth of the Golem in a variety of different ways.Sometimes they learn about it through literature (I credit, "The Adventures of Cavalier and Clay"), through song and story, or through children's books.David Wisniewski was not the first author/illustrator to create a picture book out of the myth of the man of clay.He was only the best.
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Subjects:  1. Children's 4-8 - Picturebooks    2. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    3. Children: Grades 2-3    4. Fairy Tales & Folklore - Country/Ethnic-General    5. Fairy Tales & Folklore - Single Title    6. Golem    7. Judah Loew ben Bezalel,    8. Juvenile Fiction    9. Legends    10. Legends, Jewish    11. Legends, Myths, & Fables - Other    12. ca. 1525-1609    13. Czech Republic    14. Folklore    15. Jews    16. Judah Loew ben Bezalel    17. Judaism    18. Juvenile Fiction / Legends, Myths, Fables / Other    19. Myth & legend told as fiction   

Reviews (27)

Surprising
It is surpising that such wonderful and magical tales came from a land that preaches hatred and bloodshed.

Handcrafted Quality
They don't make books like they used to - or, so i thought, until i bought this elegant edition of The Arabian nights.Beautifully bound, printed on high-quality paper, with an erudite introduction, and clear, but stylish font, I thought how appropriate for the publisher to release a classic such as The Arabian nights in such a 'classic' style, hearkening back to a time when great care was put into published books.
The best 'Nights' yet!
Haddawy's translation is the most accurate and elegant yet. Although it does have a few quirks (typos, unfamiliar phrases) it is by far better than any other English translation of the 'Nights.' Also, the Syrian manuscript he used as the basis for his translation is now considered the standard Arabic 'Nights.' (for tales that are especially popular in the West, but are probably less authentic, such as 'Aladdin' or 'Sindbad the Sailor,' check out the second volume Haddawy's 'Nights.') If you want a more complete, but less accurate 'Nights,' check out Sir Richard Burton's translation. I personally have a few more problems with Burton's translation though: I don't want to have to read 16 volumes (10 original volumes, 6 supplementary volumes) of the 'Nights,' his writing style is slightly archaic (Burton was from the Victorian age), and sometimes he gets excessively engrossed in sexual detail and nuance that it detracts from the important aspects of whatever particular scene he is dealing with. I do also have one minor issue with Haddawy's translation (actually it's more of an issue with the manuscript he used): the third old man's tale is missing in the Story of the Merchant and the Demon (this wouldn't be much of a problem if that particular story didn't happen to be one of my favorites.) ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Folklore & Mythology - Folklore    2. Literature - Classics / Criticism    3. Literature: Folklore/Mythology    4. Folklore    5. Other prose: classical, early & medieval