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The Sultan's Bath
When the gardener is imprisoned for stealing the sultan's bath water for a secret garden, he devises a solution agreeable to everyone.
- GenresPicture Books
24 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1972
6 people want to read
About the author
Victor G. Ambrus
229 books21 followersVictor Ambrus (born László Győző Ambrus, 19 August 1935) was a British illustrator of history, folk tale, and animal story books. He also became known from his appearances on the Channel 4 television archaeology series Time Team, on which he visualised how sites under excavation may have once looked. Ambrus was an Associate of the Royal College of Art and a Fellow of both the Royal Society of Arts and the Royal Society of Painters, Etchers and Engravers. He was also a patron of the Association of Archaeological Illustrators and Surveyors up until its merger with the Institute for Archaeologists in 2011.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 5, 2016
I tagged this as a traditional tale even though it isn't. Ambrus' story has a lot about it that reminded me of folkloric elements. The story is, potentially, a nice to share with children on the nature of power and greed and for stepping back and seeing what is important in life. My only gripe is that the Sultan does not truly learn any lesson at all and gets both what he lost and his newfound gain with no loss.
On saying that although Ambrus' middle-eastern men are predominantly white, his illustrations are glorious to behold. There aren't many who illustrate like Ambrus and I, as I did as a child, I am sure there are children whose love of art and illustration might stem from exploring his work.
On saying that although Ambrus' middle-eastern men are predominantly white, his illustrations are glorious to behold. There aren't many who illustrate like Ambrus and I, as I did as a child, I am sure there are children whose love of art and illustration might stem from exploring his work.
April 5, 2014
This one is not making the cut for my school library. I like the idea of the story, recycling bath water for the garden, and the illustrations are bright and reminiscent of late 60's/70's art, but a sultan's naked bum and a creepy executioner are too weird for our K-5 school library. My own kids were laughing hysterically at the bum but didn't get into the story. It's a great vintage piece for someone.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews