The Tale of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves: A Story from the Arabian Nights

by Eric A. Kimmel, Will Hillenbrand (Illustrator)

Ali Baba learns the special words to open a secret lair filled with the loot of the forty thieves, but when he tells his brother, Qasim, greed takes over and Qasim is found dead, leaving Ali Baba to wonder if he had been better off not knowing the words at all.

Genres: Classics, Fiction, Picture Books, Fairy Tales, Short Stories, Childrens, Fantasy

32 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1996

About the author

Eric A. Kimmel is an American author of more than 150 children's books. His works include Caldecott Honor Book Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins (illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman), Sydney Taylor Book Award winners The Chanukkah Guest and Gershon's Monster, and Simon and the Bear: A Hanukkah Tale.
Kimmel was born in Brooklyn, New York and earned a bachelor's degree in English literature from Lafayette College in 1967, a master's degree from New York University, and a PhD in Education from the University of Illinois in 1973. He taught at Indiana University at South Bend, and at Portland State University, where he is Professor Emeritus of Education.
Kimmel lives with his wife, Doris, in Portland, Oregon.

Reviews

[Habiba Hasabo · Rating 3 out of 5]

First time giving this a try. First time reading this story after hearing about it for so long, in addition to knowing the frame story behind this. I cannot wait to explore and analyze this in class.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Prolific picture-book author Eric A. Kimmel joins forces with illustrator Will Hillenbrand in this illustrated retelling of the classic story of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, taken from that celebrated collection of Arab and Persian folklore, the One Thousand and One Nights. When poor woodcutter Ali Baba discovers the den of the forty thieves, and overhears the magical password ("Open Sesame") used by the leader of the thieves to open that den, he takes advantage of this knowledge to steal three bags of golden coins. His newfound wealth immediately attracts the attention of his greedy brother, whose own attempts to steal from the thieves prove his undoing. Now possessing his own wealth and that of his brother, Ali Baba must fend off the vengeance of the thieves, with the help of his slave girl, Marghana...

This is one of the best-known of the stories to come from the One Thousand and One Nights (often also known in the west as The Arabian Nights), and I have encountered it in various forms elsewhere. In picture-book form, I have enjoyed the retelling done by Walter McVitty and Margaret Early, but Kimmel and Hillenbrand's version is also very appealing. The story is exciting, and will have the young reader rooting for Ali Baba, and also for Marghana. It's quite violent, but no more so than any number of tales from other traditions, from the Brothers Grimm to Asbjørnsen and Moe. The artwork, done in watercolor, plaka and oil pastel, is colorful and appealing, with its stylized figures. I appreciated the inclusion of an afterword from the author, discussing the possible historical origins of the story of the forty thieves, in the Persian mountain leader, Hasan-i Sabbah. Recommended to young folklore lovers, and to fans of Kimmel and/or Hillenbrand.

[Shay Hopper · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this story and I believe it was the best read yet. I loved the Arabic Culture that it showed throughout the entire story. This story was a story of greed and compassion and just over all love. The brothers in this story were so greedy and dumb to me it amazed me that either one of them survived the thieves. Cassim was jealous and I do believe it leads to the moral of this story and not being jealous of another person fortune even though it was stolen. When the Ali Baba found his brother Cassim in the cave all cut up, I thought it was a great deed that he took his body home and to his wife and helped cover up how and why he died as to no shame the family, but was it just me or was it greedy that he still took more gold along with his Cassim’s body, just greed. Ali Baba was fortunate that he made it out alive, good he had a good memory. I do believe that Ali Baba was not selfish because of all the help he gave to his people. Morgiana was the best part of this story not only was she smart but she was a heroine, she saved Ali Baba on a couple of occasions and he didn’t even know it. I like this tory because it had a lot of adventure and surprises. The lesson I received from this story is to not be s greedy and to be grateful for the people who are around you that are protecting you even if you are not aware of it. The moral of story to me is one of humility and to understand that if you are humble that what you may receive will be more than monetary but one of internal treasure.

[Emma Shinkins · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although I had heard versions of this story before, this was the first time I had heard the whole story. Ali Baba gained riches by overhearing the forty thieves entering their secret cave, full of money and jewels. He filled his donkeys and went home, told his wife of their new fortune and then buried it. Now his brother came to hear about this and without Ali Babas knowledge returned to the cave so he himself could help himself to the riches. Things didn't go so well for him and he ended up cut in pieces. Now Ali Babas brother Kasim, was already rich. More so, he never made well to help his brother to become rich also. So this story reflects a lot of greed. It also shows resources can come from the most unlikeliest of sources, such as Ali Babas slave servant Morgiana.As the story progresses we see how the more the forty thieves try their best to take back their treasure, the more they are outsmarted, sometimes without even the knowledge of Ali Baba himself, by Morgiana. Morgiana seems to be the hero of this story with Ali Baba just a mere bystander. I guess this would be a good moral story to tell children as it has been done throughout the ages. I did not, however find it so interesting that I may want to read it again.

[The Learning Apps · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Tale of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" is a classic story from "The Arabian Nights," a collection of folktales from the Middle East and South Asia. The story tells the tale of Ali Baba, a poor woodcutter who stumbles upon a secret hideout of thieves and learns their secret password, "Open Sesame."

With the help of this password, Ali Baba is able to enter the thieves' hideout and steal a large quantity of treasure. However, the thieves soon discover that someone has been in their hideout and set out to find the culprit.

The story follows Ali Baba as he tries to evade the thieves and keep the treasure for himself. Along the way, he encounters a number of obstacles and challenges, including a clever servant girl named Morgiana and a group of thieves who try to steal the treasure for themselves.

Overall, "The Tale of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" is a thrilling and entertaining story that has captivated readers for centuries. It is a timeless tale that explores themes of greed, loyalty, and the consequences of one's actions.

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is Morgiana's and Morgiana's only

[Cheryl]

I love that Kimmel works with different illustrators carefully chosen to coordinate with each tale. That strategy works very well here. In fact, the artist created forty different characters for a spread showing the thieves! The brief author's note at the end is fascinating. Just do beware, there is more violence & murder here than in most other recently published folklore.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

All these years I never got the "Oil Merchant" references in books I read or shows I have watched. Now I know.

[Faye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute! 🙂

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are OK with a little violence in your children's stories (not a discussion I am going to get into here) this is a fantastic edition, with a colorful full-page illustration on every spread plus charming little details on the facing pages. There is really no reason to publish a children's book if there are not pictures on every page and I don't know why people don't realize this. I especially wish publishers of Bible stories realized this.

[Jess · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not to be a prude, but hello violence, didn't know I was going to meet so much of you here. Seriously. Whoa. Remind me not to steal from a thief's cave. I don't even know words like Sesame outside of the Street.

Egads!

It's not bad. It's just the first time I've read this story. This one's a bit scarring for everyone the first time they read it, right?

[Joel Gough · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was inspired to read this after watching Aladdin recently and this story is referenced in one of the songs.

The book is called Ali Baba but the real hero is actually his wife Marjeena.

She's so badass.
Very entertaining story, I love the dynamics of their marriage and the message that a good marriage is more valuable than precious treasure.

[Amy Layton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't exactly know what I was expecting when I opened up this picturebook.  A retelling, certainly.  But the picturebook format definitely makes it seem like it's for kids--which I do think is correct--but the content inside...wow.  There was a little more gore and shocking imagery than I expected.  I'm not one to shy away from such topics, especially as they relate to children, but this one definitely had shock value.  Perhaps because I haven't really read the origin text for this tale, I was naive, but hey, it's an important piece of literature.  

Really though, I found this book engaging and intriguing, and not being familiar with the tale, I was always curious to see where it would go next.  I'd definitely recommend this for older children, as this book is text-heavy.  

Review cross-listed here!

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

5 stars for the classic story and its telling. The illustrations were better than I thought they'd be, given the cover, but still not fabulous. I guess if I'm choosing to read a story to my kid that involves dismemberment, I'm pretty much asking for it, but I was surprised how much the illustrations chose to show it. Quartered body parts are shown hung from the cave ceiling, a lifeless corpse is shown being stitched back together, and we see the shadow of a beheading. I'm a bit disturbed that my son didn't seem more disturbed by it, but I probably read things just as bad at his age. I'd like to find a version of the story with better -- and subtler -- illustrations.

[Audrey Earl · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Read” in audible and the narrator did an excellent job! I loved the Arabic culture and I was interested in the story and was wondering how tricky situations were going to be solved. It had a good moral and a good hero. It is a classic story that I believe is forgotten by most and not often revisited. It’s a great book to add to the collection!

[Ryan Pickwick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Again I read this in a Turkish-English side by side. Apart from the line in Genie’s song from Aladdin, I was unfamiliar with this story prior to reading. It was fun and engaging. Addressed some good themes such as greed and compassion for others. I loved how the true hero of the story is Ali Baba’s servant girl who saves him - reminded me of the hero Jael in Judges 4.

[Leandro · Rating 3 out of 5]

English
I listened to it in audiobook format on scribd. I liked the story, I should read all the Scheherezade stories.

Castellano
Lo escuché en formato audiolibro en scribd. Me gustó la historia, debería leer todos los cuentos de Scheherezade.

[Nick Katenkamp · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the more famous stories from Arabian Nights, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves is (in my opinion) the most memorable of the tales. It's a clever little story with a tinge of fantastic and brutality. I liked it more as an adult than I did as a kid as I found the amount of killing excessive.

[Christian · Rating 2 out of 5]

While this is a classic tale, it moves much too slowly for my preference and becomes very dull after the first ten or so pages. Lots of relaying information and not enough emphasis on what that information actually means for the story.

[Red · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sesam would never be the same

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome!

[Philip · Rating 4 out of 5]

I honestly believe this was my first time consuming this story in any media. It was delightful.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit gruesome.

[✨Arline✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Be sure to pre-read. It’s definitely more gruesome than we expected. (8yo snd 5yo)

Otherwise an excellent retelling.

[Nxllo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mi ricordo che alle elementari i miei compagni di classe ne parlavano sempre ma io non sono mai riuscito a leggerla, quindi, dopo 10 anni, gli ho dato una chance

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Morgiana does everything! Coesion, concept, acclamation.

[Teo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit much (in a gruesome way), but otherwise a fantastic book!

[nana · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Cecille · Rating 3 out of 5]

read it for my grandma 🫶

[Laila Falk · Rating 4 out of 5]

cute fable, have to memorize it