Tales from the Arabian Nights. Finished 8-8-20, 4.5/5 stars, 208 pages, pub. 2016

Stunning illustrations by Christina Balit

Classic stories and dazzling illustrations of princesses, kings, sailors, and genies come to life in a stunning retelling of the Arabian folk tales from One Thousand and One Nights and other collections, including those of Aladdin, Sinbad the Sailor, and Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves. The magical storytelling of award-winning author Donna Jo Napoli dramatizes these timeless tales and ignites childrens’ imaginations.    from Goodreads

I loved everything about this book.  The 25 Arabian folk tales were beautifully told and illustrated.  There were stories within stories within stories.  The main story, even though it is only a few lines each page is one of a woman who expects to be killed every night by the king.  Her plan is to tell him stories that will buy her another night in his bed, and then another, so that she may save herself and all of the other girls he would have killed in her place.  It was surprisingly addicting.

The stories themselves were so much enchanting.  Sinbad the Sailor and Aladdin make appearances, but there were others I loved more.  Do yourself a favor and check it out of the library like I did and sit down for a few hours of happy reading.