With bright, lush, stylised acrylic illustrations, this collection of eight stories from 'A Thousand and One Nights' is designed for reading aloud, but in contrast to many watered-down versions, these tales may find their best audience with older elementary students and middle-schoolers. The long introductory story, Shahriyar Meets Shahrazade, tells of the shah's discovery of his beloved wife's betrayal and his shocking decision to marry a new bride every day and then order her death. Then he meets and marries Shahrazade, who persuades Shahriyar to keep her alive by telling him a riveting story each night. This edition is notable for combining favourites such as Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp with less familiar tales such as The Diamond Anklet and The Speaking Bird and the Singing Tree Throughout, the spacious paintings capture the sense of the supernatural in daily life, including magical images of people taking flight above city, trees, and desert. AGES: 9-12 AUTHOR: Wafa' Tarnowska was born in Lebanon, spent her childhood there and has also lived in Australia, India, Poland, Cyprus and the UAE. She currently lives in Hertfordshire in the UK. She has written 4 children's books which were translated into several languages, including the Award Winning Arabian Nights which won the American Folklore Society Aesop Accolade, the Moonbeam Award Gold Medal Winner and the Smithsonian Magazine Notable Book for Children in 2011. The Paperback edition published in 2012, is now part of the Barefoot Books Independent Readers line. Wafa' has also translated several children's books from English to Arabic for Mantra Lingua as well as a play from Arabic to English for the Royal Court Theatre. Wafa' feels that her work is a valuable bridge between East and West, helping to break down the stereotypical images that Western people have about the Middle East and vice versa. Wafa's great passions in life are writing, translation, story-telling and travelling as well as being a mother. She spends her money and holidays visiting weird and wonderful places and is currently writing her first book for grownups. In her spare time she loves visiting schools and reading stories for children. Colour illustrations
