| Title | : | Yakov and the Seven Thieves |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0670058874 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780670058877 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 32 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 2004 |
It is a story about how all of us have the ability to unlock the gates of heaven--no matter how unworthy we think we are. For when we go against out selfish natures, we make miracles happen, in our lives and in the lives of others.
We must never forget that hidden behind a large amount of darkness is a large amount of light.
--Madonna
Yakov and the Seven Thieves Reviews
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I was skeptical when I saw the author listed as "Madonna!" Then, I opened the book to find lush, lovely images that enticed me to purchase it.
I need not have worried; the story is lovely and Gennady Spirin is one of my favorite illustrators/artist.
A cobbler by the name of Yakov has one child, a son who is gravely ill. Despite all attempts to cure him, Yakov and his wife, Olga, grow increasingly frightened when their son is slipping away. Hearing of a man of healing who lives in the last house of their village, Yakov goes to seek his guidance.
Attempting to give all his money to the learned elder man, his coins were refused, stating that if he is successful in helping, perhaps the cobbler would make a pair of shoes for his grandson.
The next day, he visited the wise sage only to be told that when he prayed, the gates of heaven would not open. Thus, Yakov was told that his son's death is inevitable. In distress, Yakov begged the wise man to try yet one more time.
The elderly man told his grandson to go into the village and find all the thieves, pick pockets and criminals and bring them back to the house. Among the lot was Vladimir the Villain who could bend metal and punch holes through stones, and Boris the Barefoot Midget is successful at grabbing the purses of old ladies and the toys of little ones. Among the lot were Ivan the Arsonist, Petra the Pickpocket Stinky Pasha and a large host of near do wells.
When the old man asked the beggars to pray, they all got on their knees and followed his directions to pray. Amazingly, a miracle occurred. The prayers of the man who previously robbed by opening gates, helped to open the gates to heaven so that the child could be healed.
The next day, Yakov came with a new pair of shoes for the elder's grandson. His son was alive and well. It was the prayers of the gang of crooks that made a difference. -
Maybe an extra star for the illustrations.
Gennady Spirin is an illustrator I love, and it astonished me that he had worked on a book with Madonna. The story is not the worst book I have read but it desperately needs editing. The tone is all over the place, at times suggesting a mode of self-consciousness which is anachronistic. The descriptions of the thieves are cloying in an attempt to be humourous: one thief's attributes rhyme in a sort of triplet, and the rest are depicted in ordinary prose, so that the intended effect is puzzling.
Questions:
If the story is based on the Baal Shem Tov why are all the character names Slavic?
Why does the wise man explain the miracle through a kind of third hand Jungian metaphor?
Is it okay to refer to someone as a midget?
Can there be only one "naughty" female thief amongst of all the males?
Will a disgruntled reader ever go on a pyromaniacal rampage at the warehouse storing these and all other poorly edited but best-selling vanity projects?
Should I acquire this book for Spirin's sake or not? (Answer: probably not.)
Madonna gets some credit for being more literate than she had to be, and for choosing a first rate illustrator, and for giving him credit on the cover. -
Buku ini berkisah tentang penderitaan tukang sepatu bernama Yakov dan istrinya, Olga. Anak satu-satunya mereka, Mikhail sakit keras. Ia sudah sangat lemah dan Yakov sudah melakukan apa saja.
Istrinya memintanya menemui si bijak. Ia meminta tolong kepadanya. Ketika doa si bijak tak mampu mengetuk pintu surga, ia meminta cucunya, Pavel, mencari tujuh penjahat berbahaya. Anehnya para penjahat itu mau menuruti permintaan kakek tua yang tak dikenalnya. Mereka dengan tulus ikut berdoa bersama kakek bijak itu.
Ceritanya indah. Penjelasan alasan pemilihan pencuri dan penjahat untuk diajak berdoa juga menarik ketika cucunya bertanya kenapa kakeknya tidak mengajak mereka yang suci untuk berdoa bersamanya.
Menurut kakeknya, pencuri mewakili sikap-sikap buruk manusia. Apabila ingin mukjijat terjadi maka sebaiknya manusia menyadari dan mengakui karekter buruknya dan berpaling dari perilaku tersebut.
Apakah Mikhail berhasil sembuh? Dan bagaimana nasib tujuh penjahat tersebut?
Buku Yakov dan Tujuh Pencuri ini juga kaya ilustrasi. Madonna bekerja sama dengan Gennady Spirin untuk menguatkan ceritanya lewat gambar yang indah. Buku ini dirilis tahun 2004.
Ulasan juga tayang di:
https://dewipuspasari.net/2018/11/10/... -
Dikisahkan dalam buku ini penderitaan tukang sepatu bernama Yakov dan istrinya, Olga. Anak satu-satunya mereka, Mikhail sakit keras. Ia sudah sangat lemah dan Yakov sudah melakukan apa saja.
Istrinya memintanya menemui si bijak. Ia meminta tolong kepadanya. Ketika doa si bijak tak mampu mengetuk pintu surga, ia meminta cucunya, Pavel, mencari tujuh penjahat berbahaya. Anehnya para penjahat itu mau menuruti permintaan kakek tua yang tak dikenalnya. Mereka dengan tulus ikut berdoa bersama kakek bijak itu.
Ceritanya indah. Penjelasan alasan pemilihan pencuri dan penjahat untuk diajak berdoa juga menarik ketika cucunya bertanya kenapa kakeknya tidak mengajak mereka yang suci untuk berdoa bersamanya.
Apakah Mikhail berhasil sembuh? Dan bagaimana nasib tujuh penjahat tersebut?
Buku Yakov dan Tujuh Pencuri ini juga kaya ilustrasi. Madonna bekerja sama dengan Gennady Spirin untuk menguatkan ceritanya lewat gambar yang indah. Buku ini dirilis tahun 2004.
Ulasan juga tayang di dewipuspasari.net -
Ainda que talvez um pouco simplistas ou inverosímeis as mensagens que estas histórias de Madonna tentam transmitir , a verdade é que acabamos por gostar muito de as ler. Eu pelo menos, gostei! Ainda para mais, com ilutrações belíssimas que acompanham muito bem a história.
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The illustrations are the best part of this book. Their beauty is the reason I picked up the book. Other than enjoyment of the pictures, there is nothing good to be gained from this book. What does it even mean? One needs to be a criminal in order to have prayers answered? I wasted the five minutes it took me to read this one.
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Artwork was good.
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Eh. This story was a bit too preachy and not entertaining enough for the lesson to sink in.
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"Midget"?? I wouldn't read this to my child.
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Nice art.
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It’s really cute.
I love all the cute illustrations/drawings!!!
The plot is good!! -
The story was only a two star but Gennady Spirin's art was a four, so I'm giving it a three.
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Hermosas ilustraciones y la historia me gustó mucho. Una muy buena opción para los pequeños.
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Another fun reading children's book. Parable about one can make miracles happen with a bit of faith. Not sure of target age group but as adult good quick read.
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Labai įdomi :-)
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It's a children book with exceptionally beautiful illustrations in it, plus it's a hardcover. Makes me want to keep it on my shelf but, I don't get the moral of the story at all. Shouldn't there be one?
Basically, Yakov the shoemaker is super stressed about his dying son (as he should), and goes seeking help from this wise man who can speak to angels and open the Gate of Heaven. The wise man tried praying but failed to open The Gate. Then proceeds to gather the village rascals, thieves, arsonist, and all those wrongdoers to help him pray. They did open The Gate through prayer because according to the wise man, the rascals know the sneaky ways to do that. Miraculously, Yakov's son is up and healthy again. That's it.
I tried to figure out what the moral of the story is, but do not want to overthink myself. Maybe this is just a pretty book with no hidden lessons to take, I guess that's fine too. -
This book was slightly better than The Adventures of Abdi, but I still found it rather unappealing. The fairy tale inspired story is a wonderful start (it channels a certain Hans Christian Andersen vibe with its focus on prayer and a child protagonist who must be saved by its caring parents), but I found the choice of illustrative style to not match well with the story. By naming the protagonist Yakov, they immediately place the story in Eastern Europe, a setting which is further compounded by the small town setting, the superstitious townsfolk, and the kindly village magician (an old man who does magic, but who the townsfolk seem to accept without negative judgement). Yet, the illustrations seem to be influenced by the fashions of France and Germany, as we see many a curled ponytail and high-heeled shoes on the male characters. I would have expected a more Russian style of illustration at least, if not an even more specific style to depict potentially Jewish characters.
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I've been hearing this rumor about Madonna. Why has she remained famous all these years? Oh well, coz she paid the devil her soul. I dunno if it's true.
But then, after reading one of her children's books, I think it's not true. She just emphasized on the power of prayer.
Set in a European place, Yakov and the Seven Thieves, is a story that gives us a lesson...that no matter how bad a person is, the gates of Heaven can still be opened. The main character is Yakov, who is having a sick son named Mikhail. He sought the help of an old man in their village, believed to be talking to angels.
The old man prayed for Yakov's child not to die. But the gates of Heaven was closed. With this, he requested the seven most dangerous thieves in the place to pray with him.
Yakov's son got well and truly, it's a miracle. -
Very cute, with wonderful illustrations by Russian-born, New Jersey artist Gennady Spirin. The front flap explains that the story is inspired by the Baal Shem Tov, a great teacher who lived in the Ukraine in the 18th century. The tone of the story seems to match this other-era, other worldliness. It's not quite a fairy tale, but there are definite elements of that in both the story and the illustrations. Anyone who listens to Madonna's lyrics must recognize an open-minded spirituality at the center of much of her music, and this children's story aligns with that interest as well.
I was given this book by a friend, and it was a pleasant surprise. -
Each of her stories is as precious as the rest. Madonna writes these stories in a wonderful way which appeals to adults as well as to young children.
In this story, Yakov and Olga’s son is very sick and Yakov does not believe he will live much longer. Heeding the direction of Olga, Yakov headed to the house of the Old Wise Man, needing a miracle. Ultimately, the man needed the help of seven thieves from town in order to heal Yakov’s son.
The old man said that it is only by acknowledging the faults we have in ourselves that we can perform miracles. So true. -
I have had this since I was probably thirteen. My mom bought it for me and I thought it was the coolest thing but never actually read it. I finally have read it today after so many years of staring at it from my bed.
It was an interesting book,very different,style-wise for myself. Not something I am use to reading. It had more of an 'old time' feel to it. I enjoyed the book for what it was. Probably not something I'd go to again unless reading to my little cousins. But it was a nice little read. -
ISENG. Penasaran awalnya. Ingin tahu bagaimana seorang Madonna menulis sebuah buku -sekalipun itu buku anak-anak.
Dua bintang untuk kisahnya. Klasik, simpel, tetapi sayangnya pesan moral yang disampaikan kurang nendang. Padahal saya mengharapkan pesan moral yang lebih di balik tujuh pencuri unik ini.
Total untuk buku ini tiga bintang. Satu bintang datangnya dari ilustrasinya yang cukup 'wah', pas dengan porsi cerita di setiap halaman.
Salut untuk Madonna yang terjun di bidang penulisan seperti ini. :) -
rrrr...
masih ngeraba dan atau sedikit ga setuju sama the old man yang bilang kemampuan para pencuri yang akhirnya bisa membuka gerbang 'langit' dan membuat keajaiban menyembuhkan Mikhail..
tapiiii..jadi lihat ke diri sendiri..
InsyaaAllah tidak berkelakuan senakal ketujuh pencuri di cerita ini, tapi masih sangat jauh untuk dibilang shalihah..
Doa2ku, apakah yang termasuk bisa membuka gerbang langit?
Anyway, love the illustration..
classic.. -
This is one my favorite childhood story ever. Yakov, as a loving parent, afraid that the grim reaper might take his son's life for eternity.
He struggled to find a way to free his son from the gate of death. However, the way to cure his son is really strange and considered 'dangerous'.
I found The Seven Thieves are really, really unique. Too bad there's only a little description about each characters mentioned in the book. Anyway, the graphic's great. -
Retelling a folk tale is harder than it might seem. As well, you need to have experience with the craft of writing, especially if it is a book for children.
The illustrations by Gennady Spirin are beautiful. They are rich in color and detail, helping to keep this book from sinking farther than the author's writing should have allowed it to sink. -
I have to say I like Madonna's children's books much better than I like her musical career, or even who she presents herself as in public. The pictures are fantastic, and even though I am not Christian in the least I did find this story cute in a way I never thought I would say about anything in connection with Madonna.
