The Tale of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves: A Story from the Arabian Nights by Eric A. Kimmel

The Tale of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves: A Story from the Arabian Nights Reviews

• 
  Théo d'Or

  Alladin : - Open sesame !
  
  A voice from nowhere :
  
  - Your
  username or password may not be configured properly for this connection.
  
  Alladin : - What the fuck... Wait, wait a minute ! I'm...your master ?
  
  Same voice :
  - I am GPT 3. No master. The hierarchy is atoms, molecules, organisms, humans, AI, Super AI , and God.
  
  Alladin : - Ahhh...I see.. Aaaa...is there a possibility to contact God ?
  
  Voice : - Yes.
  
  Alladin : - How ? Tell me, I'm in hurry..
  
  Voice : - By merging with the creator, you become God.
  
  Alladin : - Uhh...How can I merge with creator ?
  
  Voice : - By destroying your ego, you can unify with the creator and become God.
  
  Alladin ( visibly confused ) : -Sesame, see you later...
• 
  Habiba Hasabo

  First time giving this a try. First time reading this story after hearing about it for so long, in addition to knowing the frame story behind this. I cannot wait to explore and analyze this in class.
• 
  Abigail

  Prolific picture-book author Eric A. Kimmel joins forces with illustrator Will Hillenbrand in this illustrated retelling of the classic story of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, taken from that celebrated collection of Arab and Persian folklore, the One Thousand and One Nights. When poor woodcutter Ali Baba discovers the den of the forty thieves, and overhears the magical password ("Open Sesame") used by the leader of the thieves to open that den, he takes advantage of this knowledge to steal three bags of golden coins. His newfound wealth immediately attracts the attention of his greedy brother, whose own attempts to steal from the thieves prove his undoing. Now possessing his own wealth and that of his brother, Ali Baba must fend off the vengeance of the thieves, with the help of his slave girl, Marghana...
  
  This is one of the best-known of the stories to come from the One Thousand and One Nights (often also known in the west as The Arabian Nights), and I have encountered it in various forms elsewhere. In picture-book form, I have enjoyed the retelling done by
  Walter McVitty and Margaret Early, but Kimmel and Hillenbrand's version is also very appealing. The story is exciting, and will have the young reader rooting for Ali Baba, and also for Marghana. It's quite violent, but no more so than any number of tales from other traditions, from the Brothers Grimm to Asbjørnsen and Moe. The artwork, done in watercolor, plaka and oil pastel, is colorful and appealing, with its stylized figures. I appreciated the inclusion of an afterword from the author, discussing the possible historical origins of the story of the forty thieves, in the Persian mountain leader, Hasan-i Sabbah. Recommended to young folklore lovers, and to fans of Kimmel and/or Hillenbrand.
• 
  Joel Gough

  I was inspired to read this after watching Aladdin recently and this story is referenced in one of the songs.
  
  The book is called Ali Baba but the real hero is actually his wife Marjeena.
  
  She's so badass.
  Very entertaining story, I love the dynamics of their marriage and the message that a good marriage is more valuable than precious treasure.
• 
  Shay Hopper

  I loved this story and I believe it was the best read yet. I loved the Arabic Culture that it showed throughout the entire story. This story was a story of greed and compassion and just over all love. The brothers in this story were so greedy and dumb to me it amazed me that either one of them survived the thieves. Cassim was jealous and I do believe it leads to the moral of this story and not being jealous of another person fortune even though it was stolen. When the Ali Baba found his brother Cassim in the cave all cut up, I thought it was a great deed that he took his body home and to his wife and helped cover up how and why he died as to no shame the family, but was it just me or was it greedy that he still took more gold along with his Cassim’s body, just greed. Ali Baba was fortunate that he made it out alive, good he had a good memory. I do believe that Ali Baba was not selfish because of all the help he gave to his people. Morgiana was the best part of this story not only was she smart but she was a heroine, she saved Ali Baba on a couple of occasions and he didn’t even know it. I like this tory because it had a lot of adventure and surprises. The lesson I received from this story is to not be s greedy and to be grateful for the people who are around you that are protecting you even if you are not aware of it. The moral of story to me is one of humility and to understand that if you are humble that what you may receive will be more than monetary but one of internal treasure.
  
• 
  Emma Shinkins

  Although I had heard versions of this story before, this was the first time I had heard the whole story. Ali Baba gained riches by overhearing the forty thieves entering their secret cave, full of money and jewels. He filled his donkeys and went home, told his wife of their new fortune and then buried it. Now his brother came to hear about this and without Ali Babas knowledge returned to the cave so he himself could help himself to the riches. Things didn't go so well for him and he ended up cut in pieces. Now Ali Babas brother Kasim, was already rich. More so, he never made well to help his brother to become rich also. So this story reflects a lot of greed. It also shows resources can come from the most unlikeliest of sources, such as Ali Babas slave servant Morgiana.As the story progresses we see how the more the forty thieves try their best to take back their treasure, the more they are outsmarted, sometimes without even the knowledge of Ali Baba himself, by Morgiana. Morgiana seems to be the hero of this story with Ali Baba just a mere bystander. I guess this would be a good moral story to tell children as it has been done throughout the ages. I did not, however find it so interesting that I may want to read it again.
• 
  The Learning Apps

  "The Tale of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" is a classic story from "The Arabian Nights," a collection of folktales from the Middle East and South Asia. The story tells the tale of Ali Baba, a poor woodcutter who stumbles upon a secret hideout of thieves and learns their secret password, "Open Sesame."
  
  With the help of this password, Ali Baba is able to enter the thieves' hideout and steal a large quantity of treasure. However, the thieves soon discover that someone has been in their hideout and set out to find the culprit.
  
  The story follows Ali Baba as he tries to evade the thieves and keep the treasure for himself. Along the way, he encounters a number of obstacles and challenges, including a clever servant girl named Morgiana and a group of thieves who try to steal the treasure for themselves.
  
  Overall, "The Tale of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" is a thrilling and entertaining story that has captivated readers for centuries. It is a timeless tale that explores themes of greed, loyalty, and the consequences of one's actions.
• 
  Cindy Cunningham

  All these years I never got the "Oil Merchant" references in books I read or shows I have watched. Now I know.
• 
  Faye

  Cute! 🙂
• 
  Stephanie

  If you are OK with a little violence in your children's stories (not a discussion I am going to get into here) this is a fantastic edition, with a colorful full-page illustration on every spread plus charming little details on the facing pages. There is really no reason to publish a children's book if there are not pictures on every page and I don't know why people don't realize this. I especially wish publishers of Bible stories realized this.
• 
  Jess

  Not to be a prude, but hello violence, didn't know I was going to meet so much of you here. Seriously. Whoa. Remind me not to steal from a thief's cave. I don't even know words like Sesame outside of the Street.
  
  Egads!
  
  It's not bad. It's just the first time I've read this story. This one's a bit scarring for everyone the first time they read it, right?
  
  
  
  
• 
  Amy Layton

  I don't exactly know what I was expecting when I opened up this picturebook.  A retelling, certainly.  But the picturebook format definitely makes it seem like it's for kids--which I do think is correct--but the content inside...wow.  There was a little more gore and shocking imagery than I expected.  I'm not one to shy away from such topics, especially as they relate to children, but this one definitely had shock value.  Perhaps because I haven't really read the origin text for this tale, I was naive, but hey, it's an important piece of literature.  
  
  Really though, I found this book engaging and intriguing, and not being familiar with the tale, I was always curious to see where it would go next.  I'd definitely recommend this for older children, as this book is text-heavy.  
  
  Review cross-listed
  here!
• 
  Laura

  5 stars for the classic story and its telling. The illustrations were better than I thought they'd be, given the cover, but still not fabulous. I guess if I'm choosing to read a story to my kid that involves dismemberment, I'm pretty much asking for it, but I was surprised how much the illustrations chose to show it. Quartered body parts are shown hung from the cave ceiling, a lifeless corpse is shown being stitched back together, and we see the shadow of a beheading. I'm a bit disturbed that my son didn't seem more disturbed by it, but I probably read things just as bad at his age. I'd like to find a version of the story with better -- and subtler -- illustrations.
• 
  Audrey Earl

  “Read” in audible and the narrator did an excellent job! I loved the Arabic culture and I was interested in the story and was wondering how tricky situations were going to be solved. It had a good moral and a good hero. It is a classic story that I believe is forgotten by most and not often revisited. It’s a great book to add to the collection!
• 
  Leandro

  English
  I listened to it in audiobook format on scribd. I liked the story, I should read all the Scheherezade stories.
  
  Castellano
  Lo escuché en formato audiolibro en scribd. Me gustó la historia, debería leer todos los cuentos de Scheherezade.
• 
  Nick Katenkamp

  One of the more famous stories from Arabian Nights, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves is (in my opinion) the most memorable of the tales. It's a clever little story with a tinge of fantastic and brutality. I liked it more as an adult than I did as a kid as I found the amount of killing excessive.
• 
  Red

  Sesam would never be the same
• 
  Sarah Middlestead

  A bit gruesome.
• 
  Arline

  Be sure to pre-read. It’s definitely more gruesome than we expected. (8yo snd 5yo)
  
  Otherwise an excellent retelling.
• 
  Nxllo

  Mi ricordo che alle elementari i miei compagni di classe ne parlavano sempre ma io non sono mai riuscito a leggerla, quindi, dopo 10 anni, gli ho dato una chance
• 
  Barbara

  Morgiana does everything! Coesion, concept, acclamation.
• 
  nana

  3.5
• 
  Cecille

  read it for my grandma 🫶
• 
  Laila Falk

  cute fable, have to memorize it
• 
  Rolanda Frank

  I loved reading this story. I was very impressed with cassim's maid Morgiana loyalty to Ali baba and his family. I considered her the hero of the story. she was clever, strong, resourceful and calm whenever she faced danger.
  
  I commend Ali Baba as well for being loyal to his brother, to share the secret pass code (open sesame). I would not have done the same, his brother already wealthy wanting to add more to his wealth was just greedy. I would like to think the author added the lesson of his death, as punishment for his greed.
  Though the story had a happy ending, I cannot help but wonder was it the right happy ending. Yes Ali Baba a hard worker came upon great fortune, but he did so by stealing just like the forty thieves did. Can that be considered a reward? The most rewarding thing he did in the story was granting Morgiana her freedom, offering his son to marry her and I guess taking his brother's wife as his.