Yakov and the Seven Thieves FROM OUR EDITORS
The Barnes & Noble Review
Madonna spins another lesson-teaching yarn in her third picture book for children "(even grown-up ones)," this time drawing inspiration from an 18th-century Ukrainian teacher for a tale about overcoming selfishness to help others. Paired with ornate, awe-inspiring illustrations by award winner Gennady Spirin, the author's tale -- "dedicated to naughty children everywhere" -- centers on a cobbler, Yakov, who looks toward a wise man to help cure his deathly ill son. Although the wise man's prayers alone cannot help Yakov, the cobbler's sincerity drives the old man to round up seven of the town's thieves and scoundrels, including the malodorous Stinky Pasha and a one-legged rascal named Ivan the Arsonist. When a surprising group effort leads to the son's recovery, an explanation from the wise man reveals the miraculous reason, giving a jubilant Yakov and us readers plenty to ponder. In her first children's book with a pre-20th-century setting, Madonna combines storytelling resourcefulness with a non-Western theme for a read that will sit comfortably alongside her previous two books. Without a doubt, Spirin's artwork is the tour de force here, bringing to life Ukrainian landscapes and culture in a way that reflects the artist's remarkable attention to detail. For those who enjoyed The English Roses and Mr. Peabody's Apples, this story, which follows a familiar format of old-fashioned fables, makes a fine addition to your Madonna "literary" collection.
Matt Warner
ANNOTATION
B&N Video Exclusive: See Madonna's thank you to Barnes & Noble customers (:46) and her Madonna's introduction to her five books. (3:14)
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Seven slippery scoundrels.
One tricky lock.
An unlikely solution...
Yakov, the kindly cobbler, and his wife, Olga, are heartbroken because their son, Mikhail, is very ill. They seek advice from a wise old man, who enlists the help of seven thieves and proves that miracles can occur if we do good deeds.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
Like Mr. Peabody's Apples, Madonna's new picture book was also inspired by a teacher (albeit one from the 18th century, according to an author's note on the flap) and profits from the work of a strong illustrator. The cobbler Yakov's only son, Mikhail, lies dying, and Yakov seeks help from the "wise old man who lives in the last house at the edge of the village" who "speaks to angels." The old man's prayers reach the gates of heaven, but "the gates were locked." He then sends his grandson Pavel into town to assemble "all the thieves, pickpockets, and criminals who live there." Here the book takes on a comic tone as the author describes the seven thieves. Spirin, working in his usual meticulously detailed style, lets out the stops with portraits of such characters as "big and fat and hairy" Vladimir the Villain, who busts out of his mishmash of clothing and attempts to bend a horseshoe, and Petra the Pickpocket ("her fingers were everywhere they were not supposed to be-especially in her nose"). "When they had all finished belching and farting and behaving like twits," the seven miscreants fall to their knees next to the old man, and the thieves' prayers pick the locks on heaven's gates. Spirin's wordless spread of the septet on their knees, a glow emanating from their faces, makes clear that the miracle will transpire. Once again the author drives home the message. "You see, the thieves represent the things in us that are bad or wrong or selfish," says the old man to Pavel. "And when we turn away from our naughty behavior and embrace good deeds, as the thieves did with their prayers, we are turning the key and unlocking the gates of heaven." Spirin's paintings carry the real magic with subtlety and insight. He renders with care the smallest features of 18th-century European town life: cobbler's nails, brass drawer-pulls, feather pens, children's toys. Even Madonna's soapbox approach can't tarnish Spirin's images, nor the wit of the original story. Ages 4-8. (June) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
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