Title: Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves

Author: retold by Katie Daynes

Publisher: Usborne Publishing

Number of pages: 48

Type of Book: Fiction; Classic

Age: 4 – 8

Buy it here: http://product.chelisbookazine.com/product/ali-baba-and-the-forty-thieves-young-reading-series-1/; http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0746080867?keywords=ali%20baba%20and%20the%2040%20thieves%20usborne&qid=1458473319&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1; Free Download here: http://vladimirtamari.com/alibaba.pdf

Price: N580; $4.00

MY SUMMARY

Ali Baba and his brother Kassim were as different as day and night. Ali Baba was as content as his brother was greedy and as poor as his brother was rich. Ali Baba and his wife barely had food to eat for he was a poor woodcutter so you can imagine his shock when one day, he discovered a secret cave filled with all sorts of treasure. He quickly filled his bag with gold coins and ran home. Ali Baba became rich. Kassim disturbed Ali Baba until Al Baba told him about the secret cave. Kassim hurried to the cave with several donkeys to grab a large share of the treasure. But this cave belonged to a group of forty deadly thieves. Many things happened afterwards. First, the thieves found Kassim in their cave and killed him, then they started searching for Ali Baba to kill him too. Read the book to find out how the thieves tried to kill Ali Baba and whether or not they succeeded.

THUMBS UP AND DOWN

UP: Adventure! I recommend this book for all independent readers and would go as far as recommending the complete work: One Thousand and One Nights or Tales from the Arabian Nights. Humour! It teaches young children several vital lessons, e.g. the advantages of being content, upright and observant (Morgiana), the consequences of being greedy, etc.

DOWN:  None

RATING

5 Stars

TRIVIA

1. The magic words that brought riches to Ali Baba: Open Sesame!!
2. The original author of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves: Antoine Galland, a French author. He wrote this story in the 18^th century!
3. This was one of the stories told by Princess Scheherazarde to save herself from the mad king in One Thousand and One Nights, one of the best Arabian short story collections of all time.

HAVE FUN WITH THIS BOOK

• Watch a video here:

CHALLENGE: Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves

CREATE (THINK, WRITE a Story/Poem OR DRAW)

1. Read the story here: http://vladimirtamari.com/alibaba.pdf

Answer the following questions (6-8 year olds)

1. List 5 items, Ali Baba and his brother saw in the thieves’ cave
2. Find the items in the grid below

Z

D

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OR

2. Draw and colour Ali Baba on a tree watching the thieves enter their cave. (4-5 year olds)

Send your answers to ugochinyelu.anidi@gmail.com

Entry requirements: Entrants must be within the 4 – 8 age range. The first correct entry will be announced on this page and will win a copy of this book.

Answers must be submitted before 12:00am on Wednesday, March 23^rd 2015.

Next Book of the Week:

THE LITTLE MERMAID by Hans Christian Andersen