Sindbad: From the Tales of the Thousand and One Nights

Sindbad's Voyages #1

by Ludmila Zeman

For centuries, readers have been fascinated by the stories of the Arabian Nights. Perhaps the best-known is Sindbad the Sailor. He discovers an island paradise, but it is actually a giant whale. He sees a huge mountain. It is, in fact, the egg of the famous Roc, a bird so huge that she can carry an elephant in her talons. Sindbad manages to escape from Roc’s nest by tying his turban to the bird’s leg and is transported to the final adventure in this volume: the Valley of Diamonds. It is a story of high adventure and wit overcoming any obstacle.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fairy Tales, Fantasy, Adventure, Juvenile, Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published August 28, 1999

About the author

Ludmila Zeman - Filmmaker, illustrator, animator, and writer. Born 1947, in Gottwaldov, Czechoslovakia (now Zlín, Czech Republic); immigrated to Canada, 1984; became Canadian citizen, 1988.

Ludmila Zeman built puppets and painted backgrounds for Karel Zeman's films, including Mr. Prokouk the Acrobat; sold first animated short film to Czech TV at age nineteen; created films for Sesame Street and the National Film Board of Canada. Emily Carr College of Art, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, instructor.

Certificate of Merit, Art Directors Club, and Pick of the List selection, American Booksellers Association, both 1992, and Black-Eyed Susan Picture Book selection, State of Maryland, 1995-96, all for Gilgamesh the King; Gilgamesh the King and The Revenge of Ishtar were both selected for the Illustrators Exhibition at the Bologna Children's Book Fair, 1994; Governor General's Award for Illustration, Canada Council, 1995, for The Last Quest of Gilgamesh.

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Czech-Canadian artist and animator Ludmila Zeman presents some of the Sindbad stories found in that celebrated collection known as The Arabian Nights in this gorgeous picture-book. She begins with the framing story of Shahrazad, who uses her storytelling to keep herself alive, and then moves on to a recitation of some of Sindbad's adventures, related by him as an older man. These include his time as a sailor, when his ship arrived at an island that was really a sleeping whale; his experiences as a castaway on an island where a legendary Roc kept its nest; and his descent into (and ascent out of) the Valley of Diamonds, guarded by countless snakes...

Although the story collection from which the tales of Sindbad come is often called The Arabian Nights - alternatively, it has also been called The 1001 Nights - it has Persian as well as Arab origins. Zeman chose to honor that in her lovely artwork, which features beautiful decorative borders meant to suggest Persian rugs, and which is gorgeously ornate in style. The stories themselves are engrossing, and young folk and fairy-tale enthusiasts who enjoy adventure stories will find much here to please them. For my part, I was fascinated to learn from Zeman's afterword that some scholars believe the Sindbad stories were inspired by actual sailing voyages made by Arabs to China, many centuries before Columbus sailed west. Recommended to anyone who enjoys beautifully-illustrated folktales and myths, and to readers looking for children's retellings of the Sindbad stories.

[Aneesa · Rating 4 out of 5]

7yo has loved her Aesop's fables, and her Greek myths, and her Camelot, and her Into the Woods, so I thought it was time to introduce her to the Thousand and One Nights. This book ends with a clever cliffhanger to keep you wanting more...

[Cambrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This traditional literature book is about one of the thousand and one stories that helped save Shahrazad from the king who killed every wife the day after their wedding. It displays themes of cleverness, making mistakes, and adventure. My favorite part was when Sindbad became clever enough and tied a carcass to his body so a large bird would lift him up and he could escape from the pit of snakes. I would use this book in my future classroom to show different folktales from different cultures.

[Olivia Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely amazing and beautiful artwork. The stories shared within this picture book are nothing short than wonderful!

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunningly illustrated, this is a story that is part fact, mostly fiction. A wonderful story.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A tale packed with adventure and beautiful illustrations.

[Lara Lleverino · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellently illustrated retelling of one of the adventures of Sinbad the Sailor and a short introduction to the story of Scheherazade from 1001 Arabian Nights.

[Kara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorgeous illustrations and an excellent retelling of the original text.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 9yo and I loved Zeman's Gilgamesh books, so we decided to read her Sindbad books, too. This gets us off to a solid start with an exciting story and absolutely gorgeous illustrations.

[Jean Santos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sindbad became smarter and smarter as he ventured into his voyages. I love his goofiness and gayness tbh

[Harold Ogle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've long been a sucker for the Arabian Nights, so I grabbed this from the library and read it this afternoon while waiting for my books to finish the return process.

This book collapses the first and second voyages of Sindbad into one in which he dissipates his money, hires onto a ship, they land on the island that is actually the back of a whale, Sindbad is saved from drowning by clasping a barrel, and is washed ashore on the island where the rocs live. The abbreviation of the story works pretty well, though one of the morals from the original was how wealth can be repeatedly squandered and lessons about money are hard to learn. Having all the voyages distilled into one reduces or eliminates that moral.

There was a weird departure from the source material, too, in that Sindbad rides a roc to the valley of diamonds, then for some reason it is vultures that carry him out, rather than another roc as in the original story. Strange; I have no good idea why the author made this edit.

The illustrations in the book are pretty interesting. The human figures aren't rendered particularly well, but the pictures are lavish nonetheless, and consciously framed and patterned to resemble weavings in Persian carpets. That visual conceit is pretty delightful.

This book ends abruptly with Sindbad calling it a night (paralleling Scheherezade - whose framing story is presented at the beginning as 'Shahrizad'), so be warned: you'll want to have the next two books handy as well, if you or your kids read it.

[Nikki in Niagara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ludmila Zeman is a brilliant artist and solid storyteller. This beginning book in her Sindbad trilogy tells of two events on Sindbad's seven voyages. But first Zeman sets the scene by very briefly telling us the story of Shahrazad and how she saved her life by telling stories such as these to a cruel king. This book tells tales of how Sindbad mistook a whale for an island, how he mistook a Roc's egg for a mountain and was carried by that Roc into a pit of jewels and deadly serpents. While the story, of course is entertaining, the illustration is breathtaking. Ms. Zeman explains in an Author's Note at the back how she "wanted to recognize Persian influence in the art of book illustration, calligraphy, layout, illumination, and border decoration." Thus she has created illustrations of high detail and authentic ethnicity to accompany the tale, truly blending the art with the story to bring a credible presentation of a Persian legend.

While the publisher has recommend the book for ages 6+, I think the writing style is somewhat mature for the younger audience, and even though this is a picture book, I personally would recommend for ages 8 and up. No one is too old to read this tale, appreciate the art and glean information from the Author's Note.

[The Reading Countess · Rating 4 out of 5]

The lush illustrations gives a nod to the beauty of the Oriental rugs of the region in which this tale takes place allowing the reader a peek into the rich culture and art. The author's note would make a wonderful jumping off point (including a map of the region) before reading the book. My students are sure to come away with a deeper knowledge of history of this traditional tale.
Don't miss this one.

[Connie T. · Rating 2 out of 5]

All I know about Sinbad was gleaned from watching black & white movies as a kid. From this book I learned that the Sinbad stories were among those told by Shahrazad to King Shahriyar. The first known reference to Shahrazad dates back to the ninth century and Sinbad's travels can be linked to actual voyages of the Arabs. The picture book didn't thrill me, but the author's note was fascinating and left me yearning for more information.

[Jean-Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read aloud this picture book with my 7- and 11-year old for our Middle Ages: Arabs history lesson. Sinbad is one of the tales Shahrazad tells King Shahryar during the "One Thousand and One Nights" she captivates him with her storytelling in order to delay her execution. This picture book offers a abridged version of the Sinbad story with lovely illustration.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful retelling of some Sindbad stories. Zeman's pictures are exotic and mysterious, with borders and details which call to mind lavish Oriental carpets. I enjoyed reading it to my 10 and 11 year old, and we are eager to get the next two volumes. Gilgamesh is still my favorite Zeman book, but this one is wonderful too!

[Jessica Marcum · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picture Book: I've read this story before but i thought she retold it very well. I also liked that she included part of the history of the Arabian nights. It was a fun introduction as well as prologue at the end.

[Taylor Christensen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story was very dark. I'm not sure if I would read it to my class due to the violence, but at the same time it has very creative elements that may really engage children.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

My eight year old stepson and five year old stepdaughter really liked the story. I really liked the illustrations.

[Jumana · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is two stars mainly because the author insists the story takes place in China, but the characters and cultural milieu are middle eastern.

[sch · Rating 2 out of 5]

Homeschool book. Beautiful but vacuous.

[Claudia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulosa historia para niños!

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of imagination and very pretty illustrations!