The Thousand Nights and One Night
by David Walser
Illustrated by Jan Pienkowski
Gold edging, ribbon bookmark, cloth binding: this is a sumptuous edition.
It contains favourite tales such as Ali Baba, Aladdin and Sinbad, as well as less familiar stories, and features a cast of exotic characters; genies, sultans, birds, beasts and sorcerers.
Walser's retelling is based on the nineteenth-century translations of Richard Burton, and retains his traditional tone. The artwork is breathtaking. There's something about silhouettes and Pienkowski's are alive with movement, gesture and humorous detail. And yet their simplicity leaves space for a child's own imagination.
The silhouettes are set against a dazzling array of digitally produced backgrounds; psychedelic patterns and kaleidoscopic explosions, glowing leaf skeletons and swirling subatomic particles. The result is jaw-dropping. These are heightened, intensified images which will live on in children's memories for years to come.
This is a Christmas gift that will last a lifetime.