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Aladdin: a book club kit
Where it comes from. Hanna Diyab, a storyteller from Aleppo in Syria, told this to Antoine Galland, who added it to the Arabian Nights in France in 1710.
In short (for the leader; it gives the ending away). Aladdin is a lazy boy in a city in China. A wicked magician tricks him into fetching a magic lamp from a cave of jewels and traps him there. Aladdin escapes with the lamp, and its genie grants his wishes, making him rich and winning him the princess. The magician tricks the lamp away, but Aladdin gets it back and ends up as Sultan.
Reading plan, by the story's parts. Meeting 1: Part One, “The Uncle Who Wasn't” and Part Two, “The Cave”, pages 1–7 (about 6 minutes aloud); Meeting 2: Part Three, “The Lamp” and Part Four, “The Princess”, pages 8–12 (about 4 minutes aloud); Meeting 3: Part Five, “New Lamps for Old”, pages 13–16 (about 4 minutes aloud). Each stop's own questions, which never give away what comes next: Aladdin by chapter.
Questions to talk about
- Where does Aladdin come from?
The story's answer: It comes from the Arabian Nights. A Syrian storyteller named Hanna Diyab told it to a French writer, Antoine Galland, who added it to the book in 1710. - Is Aladdin in the original Arabian Nights?
The story's answer: Not in the oldest manuscripts. Galland added it to his French translation in 1710, after hearing it from a storyteller. - What does the genie of the lamp do?
The story's answer: The genie obeys whoever holds the lamp. Aladdin uses it to get food, riches and a palace. - How does the magician get the lamp back?
The story's answer: He disguises himself as a peddler and offers “new lamps for old”. The princess does not know the old lamp is magic and trades it. - What does this story tell you about the place it comes from?
Listen for: Food, weather, animals, how people live: anything the story shows. - Does it remind you of another story you know?
Listen for: Many folk tales have cousins in other countries.
Did you know?
- Hanna Diyab, a storyteller from Aleppo in Syria, told it to Antoine Galland, who added it to the Arabian Nights in France in 1710.
- It was not in the oldest Arabian Nights manuscripts. It was added later.
- The genie in the lamp obeys whoever holds the lamp.
Activity: Tell it round the circle
Find where the story comes from on a map. Then retell it, one sentence each, round the circle, without the book.
More to talk about
More facts for the leader
- The magician returns disguised as a peddler who trades “new lamps for old”.
Words to teach before you start
- tailor: clothes maker
- genie: magic spirit
- peddler: traveling seller
- Sultan: ruler, king
- despair: lost hope
Questions leaders ask
How long does a Aladdin book club meeting take?
Reading it aloud takes about 14 minutes in all, so plan 2 meetings of about 30 to 45 minutes each, with time left for the questions. The reading plan on the sheet says where to stop.
What age is Aladdin for?
It is written at Peabody level 11, a grade 6 reading level, so most children at that level can read it alone. Younger children can listen to it read aloud.
Do the children need to read it before the meeting?
No. Each child can read it free on Peabody, before the meeting or together at it, and the questions work either way. The sheet's short version gives the ending away, so keep it for the leader.
How do I use the questions?
Start with the story's own questions, which have answers in the leader's notes, then move to the open ones and listen for reasons. There is no wrong answer to an open question. Stop when the group runs out of things to say.
Club kits for stories like this
- Urashima Taro (level 10)
- Yeh-Shen (level 10)
- Anansi and the Pot of Wisdom (level 9)
- The Boy Who Drew Cats (level 9)
- Momotaro, the Peach Boy (level 8)
How this kit is made
The short version, the facts and the first questions with their answers are the story's own, written for its page in Peabody's library and checked against the sources named there. The open questions, the activity and the plan are Peabody's, written for this kind of story. No part of it is written by a computer model.
Running the meeting: the meeting plans (30, 45 and 60 minutes) and the sign-up sheet.