#621 of 1001 · April 13, 2022

Today I’m staring wide-eyed at Eric A. Kimmel and Will Hillenbrand’s The Tale of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, an adaptation which leans with glee into the macabre violence of the tale. The tale begins in the city of Baghdad. A poor woodcutter named Ali Baba accidentally stumbles upon a terrible secret when he witnesses a band of thieves revealing the entrance to their treasure cave with the magic words, “Open, Sesame!” Having learned the command, he cannot resist taking home a few sacks of gold. Unfortunately, he is unable to hide his newfound wealth from his greedy brother Qasim, who seeks the cave himself. Qasim’s grisly murder at the hands of the thieves sets off a bloody chain of cunning, deceit, and retribution. Kimmel remains thoroughly faithful to the frank brutality of his source material. Hillenbrand, working in paint and oil pastel on vellum, spares readers the worst excesses of the slaughter, revealing the carnage just out of frame or in shadow. #treasure #cave #gold #book #books #childrensbooks #beautifulbook #beautifulbooks #beautifulbookcover #beautifulbookcovers #picturebook #picturebooks #picturebookillustration #picturebookillustrations #picturebookart #classicchildrensbooks #childrensbookillustration #childrensliterature #illustration #kidlit #kidsbooks #bookworm #booklover #booklovers #bibliophile #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagrammers #instabook #instabooks