The plot lines in these titles are choppy and contain only the bare minimum details. The illustrations are colorful, focus on the characters, and are necessary for the story to make sense. Each book starts out with an illustration of important characters and their names, but no descriptions. There are discussion questions and writing prompts at the end of each story. These books would be good for students who are interested in these stories but would need lower level, graphic books to keep their interest. Additional Selection * Library Media Connection *
These classic stories have been given a modern graphic-novel update, making them fresh for new audiences. Ali Baba tells the story of a poor man who happens upon a secret cave filled with treasure, protected by a band of robbers. When his brother tries to take riches from the cave, he is killed by the 40 thieves, who then turn their attention to putting an end to Ali Baba. In Sinbad, the famous sailor recounts his miraculous travels to a beggar before giving him the riches to set out on his own adventures. While the stories move quickly, liberties are taken with details of the stories. This extreme abridgement occasionally leads to some confusion. Back matter, including a brief history of the original story, discussion questions, writing prompts, and a glossary, provide classroom-connection opportunities. The artwork is as comics-inspired as it gets-all dramatic poses and forced perspective. These interpretations may succeed in introducing Ali Baba and Sinbad to new readers. While they aren't without fault, they serve their purpose. * School Library Journal *
A retelling of the famous Arabian Nights tale in which the phrase open sesame originates. A detailed retelling that manages to keep all the gruesome violent bits of the original tale while keeping the story family friendly. Recommended for ages 10-14 by the publisher I tend to agree as the violent bits while not actually shown are alluded to through words and images, leaving the goriness to the imagination. There is one scene with a pool of blood. Written at a 3.0 Reading Level, this will be great for readers of that grade and will make a fantastic hi-low reader. I appreciate a retelling that can stay with the original tale and think Manning & Osnava have done a wonderful job in doing so without showing the gory bits. My only dissatisfaction with this one is that I'm not entirely pleased with the illustrations. While done in the typical comic-book/cartoon style I found the faces and facial expressions awkward and stiff. Otherwise, I'd love to read the other three books in this series. 4/5 http://back-to-books.blogspot.com/2011/01/two-easy-reader-graphic-novels-from.html * Back to Books Blog *