Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp

by Errol Le Cain (Illustrator), Andrew Lang (Adapted By)

Recounts the tale of a poor tailor's son who becomes a wealthy prince with the help of a magic lamp he finds in an enchanted cave.

Genres: Classics, Picture Books, Fantasy, Fiction, Childrens, Fairy Tales, 20th Century

32 pages, Paperback

First published October 27, 1983

About the author

Errol Le Cain was a British animator and children's book illustrator.

He was born 5 March 1941 in Singapore and evacuated with his family next year when Japan invaded. They lived in India for several years before eventually settling in the U.K. after World War II.
With no formal art education, his talent was nevertheless evident from an early age. Fascinated by cinema, he made his first animated film, The Enchanted Mouse, with a friend's 8-mm camera at age 11. His next work, The Little Goatherd, was created with a 16-mm camera at age 15. It came to the attention of British film distributor Pearl & Dean and he moved to London that year (1956) to pursue a career in animation.

In 1965, Le Cain joined Richard Williams's animation studio and worked on a wide range of animation projects. Le Cain turned freelance in 1969, working on sets for BBC television productions, continuing with animation projects, and beginning his career as a children's book illustrator.

Le Cain's first children's illustrations were published by Faber and Faber in King Arthur's Sword (1968), which began a long association with Faber that continued to his death. Le Cain illustrated 48 children's books during his lifetime, noted for their richly decorative watercolours and masterful command of design and colour.

He was commended for the 1969, 1975, and 1978 Kate Greenaway Medal from the Library Association, - recognising the year's best children's book illustration by a British subject - before winning the 1984 Medal and was commended again for 1987. The winning book was Hiawatha's Childhood, based on "a very short extract" from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's 1855 epic poem The Song of Hiawatha. The four commended books were The Cabbage Princess, which he wrote himself; Thorn Rose, or the Sleeping Beauty from Brothers Grimm; Twelve Dancing Princesses, which he retold from Brothers Grimm; and The Enchanter's Daughter by Antonia Barber.

Reviews

[Duncan · Rating 5 out of 5]

In line with the subject matter errol le cains pictures are wonderfully evocative of old Islamic illustrations but with his own take on them too. The story is striped down a little for younger readers but I found it more accessible than the the equally wordy Snow Queen. This is a perfect introduction to the story of Aladdin and I really recommend checking out this version if you can.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

So interesting to read this original story that inspired the Disney favorite. I am looking forward to discussing this one with the group!

[Kristy · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's fun to read these origin stories. Interesting changes Disney made for the movie. I kept waiting for Aladdin to learn something, but there doesn't seem to be a moral to this tale.

[Eri · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5/5
I have loved this story since I was a child and will forever love it but some aspects were just too disturbing for me. It may be to the fact that this tale is many years old but they bothered me too much to fully appreciate the story of my favourite prince of all time.

[Jude Unrein]

Aladdin and the wonderful lamp, written by Andrew Lang in the 18th century, is the story of an impoverished boy, Aladdin, who's father is unhappy with his complacency in life. After his father's passing, the boy's uncle shows up on the street while the boy is playing and wants to come into his house for dinner. When the uncle finds out that Alladin does not have a job, he has him come with him during his days as a magician. Eventually the uncle leads Alladin to find the infamous lamp which contains a genie and grants Aladdin three wishes, which he uses to become successful and happily married. Eventually an evil sorcerer starts to hunt Aladdin down because he wants to use the genie for evil. Aladdin ends up setting the genie free in the end because he realizes the importance of freedom over shallow belongings.
I think the text was written extremely well, and I think my opinion is bolstered by the fact that the story is still very popular over 300 years later. One possible issue or critique that I see with Aladdin is that the film adaptations which came later perpetuate very harmful Arab stereotypes. This is a commonly held viewpoint amongst activists and viewers of the film, as it portrays most Arab men in the movie as violently natured. Despite this, I still think that the original text holds very strong values in that the possession of freedom is more important for happiness that any material good.

[Sukriti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jacob Grimm, alongside his brother Wilhelm, is renowned for compiling "Grimm's Fairy Tales," a collection of German folktales. This book is a captivating journey into the heart of folklore, presenting a mixture of enchanting and sometimes dark stories that have fascinated readers for generations. Grimm's work is not just a mere collection of tales; it's a profound exploration of the human condition, morals, and the cultural heritage of Germany. The stories range from the well-loved "Cinderella" and "Snow White" to the less known but equally intriguing tales. Each story is a masterpiece of fantasy, imbued with timeless themes and moral lessons, making this book a valuable treasure for both young and adult readers. Jacob Grimm's contribution through this compilation has left an indelible mark on literature and continues to inspire the imagination of readers worldwide.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this short story from a Reader's Digest printing of Tales From the Arabian Nights. It was so fun to compare the story to the Disney movie and see the similarities and differences. Who knew there were actually two genies, and that Aladdin's mom plays a significant part in the story? I love reading the "original" versions of the movies that we are so familiar with.

[Nina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderfully read by Toby Stephens, but the loud music in between the chapters in the Audible version makes it impossible to fall asleep to.

[Nathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

familiar fairy tale. nice artwork.

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read an edited version of this in a vintage 1957 ‘Best in Children’s Books’.

[Grant McMeekin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Moral of the story, you can have any woman you want if you have unlimited money...

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

AR 4.8

[Riley Gullett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the retold version and how these folk stories have so many different versions to keep things interesting

[Torzilla · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story is based in Persia and is a retelling of a folk tale about a young boy tricked by an evil magician. While on his journey, Aladdin stumbles upon a magical lamp with a genie inside who grants three wishes. Aladdin eventually falls in love with a beautiful princess and uses one of his wishes to attain a lavish palace to live in. The illustrations were in depth, beautiful, and truly enhanced the text. The images also had beautifully detailed borders that appeared to be designs used in the East.

I recommend reading this tale to the young ones (preferably before watching Disney's Aladdin).

[Fi's Journey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story, unlike the Disney version, is rather dark.

Like with many other 'Disney movies' - the actual 'real' stories are much darker, take for example Cinderella (Ashputtel) or the Red Riding Hood, plus they are also different written.

Anyway 'Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp' is a short story of another book I've read called, The Arabian Nights.
I wished the story was longer but given the 7-8 pages, it provided a great story about a young poor boy who grew up to be rich but still good-hearted (and how he finds the lamp and uses it).

[Ayesha Al Tuniji · Rating 2 out of 5]

Understandable but full of difficult vocabulary

[Gema Avelar Campos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Que bonito cuento es maravilloso. Yo lo escuche en formato Audiolibro, y la forma en la que lo cuenta el narrador es divina❤
La historia me gusto mucho es un cuento muy corto pero muy lindo.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

the book is in spanish is about a magic teapot

[Saffron Moon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This rating is for the edition adapted by Andrew Lang and illustrated by Errol Le Cain.