Author | Madonna |
---|---|
Illustrator | Gennady Spirin |
Cover artist | Gennady Spirin |
Country | United States |
Subject | Moral |
Genre | Children's literature |
Set in | 18th century |
Publisher | Callaway |
Publication date | June 21, 2004 |
Media type |
|
Pages | 32 |
ISBN | 978-0-670-05887-7 |
OCLC | 54852649 |
LC Class | PZ7.M26573 |
Yakov and the Seven Thieves is a picture book written by American entertainer Madonna. It was released on June 21, 2004, by Callaway Arts & Entertainment in over 110 countries and 38 different languages, including a Braille edition. The book contains a moral tale and was inspired by a 300-year-old story by rabbi Baal Shem Tov, that Madonna had heard from her Kabbalah teacher. The premise was set in a small, 18th century town in Eastern Europe, and the story talks about how everyone has the ability to open the gates of heaven, however unworthy one is deemed to be.
The cover art and the images inside were painted by Russian illustrator Gennady Spirin who chose Baroque painting as inspiration for crafting the characters and the scenery. Like her previous endeavors, Madonna promoted the release by appearing on talk show and reading to children at a hospital in London. Critics gave mixed review of the book, with reviews being mostly negative about Madonna's writing but praised Spirin's illustrations. Three weeks after its release, Yakov and the Seven Thieves debuted at number seven on The New York Times Best Seller list in the category for Children's Picture books.
A cobbler called Yakov and his wife Olga are frightened that their gravely ill son Mikhail is dying. They hear about a man of healing who lives in the last house of their village and Yakov goes to him for guidance. The man refuses Yakov's money, instead clarifies that if he can save Yakov's son, the cobbler can repay by making a pair of shoes for his grandson.
The next day, Yakov visited the man only to be told that when he had prayed, the gates of heaven would not open. The distressed cobbler begged him to try yet one more time. The healer asked his grandson to go into the village and find all the thieves, pickpockets and criminals, and bring them back to the house. They included the thieves Vladimir the Villain who could bend metal and punch holes through stones, Boris the Barefoot Midget who snatched the purse of old ladies, Ivan the Arsonist, Petra the Pickpocket, Stinky Pasha, Sadko the Snake, Igor the Tiger, all of them being a large host of ne'er-do-wells.
With the healer's direction, the thieves all got on their knees and started to pray. A miracle occurred and the prayers of the men, who previously robbed by opening gates, helped to open the gates of heaven and Yakov's son was healed. The next day, Yakov came with a new pair of shoes for the grandson and declared that Mikhail was alive and well. It was the prayers of the gang of crooks that made a difference.
Name | Opera title and/or composer, or other references |
---|---|
Sadko the Snake | Sadko by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (the Dragon) |
Igor the Tiger | Prince Igor by Alexander Borodin (the Snake) |
Boris the Barefoot Midget | Boris Godunov by Modest Mussorgsky (the Pig) |
Ivan the Arsonist | Ivan Susanin by Mikhail Glinka (the Rat) |
Petra the Pickpocket | Peter Tchaikovsky (the Rat) |
Vladimir the Villain | Vladimir the Great |
Stinky Pasha | diminutive from 'Pavel': Paul I of Russia (the Dog) |
In 2003, American singer Madonna signed a contract with Callaway Arts & Entertainment for a series of five children's books. [2] She explained that each book dealt "with issues that all children confront... Hopefully there is a lesson that will help kids turn painful or scary situations into learning experiences". [3] The first two releases were The English Roses (September 2003), [4] and Mr. Peabody's Apples (November 2003). [5] Both debuted at number one on The New York Times Best Seller list. [6] [7] Joe D'Angelo from MTV News confirmed that the third book would be titled Yakov and the Seven Thieves. [8] Madonna was again inspired by a 300-year-old story by rabbi Baal Shem Tov that she had heard from her Kabbalah teacher, and wanted to share the "essence" of it. "We must never forget that hidden behind a large amount of darkness is a large amount of light," the singer wrote in the preface. [9] According to the press release, the premise was set in a small, 18th century town in Eastern Europe and was written for readers aged six and up, with the book manufactured in a 32-page jacketed hardcover. [10] [11]
The initial release date for Yakov and the Seven Thieves was set for April 2004, [12] but publisher Nicholas Callaway confirmed that the book would be released on June 21, 2004, in over 110 countries and 38 different languages, including a Braille edition. Although Callaway published it, the release was distributed through 42 agencies, including Gallimard Jeunesse in France, Penguin Books in the United Kingdom and the United States, and Hanser Verlag in Germany. [10] Madonna promoted the book by appearing on ABC News on June 16, 2004, where she dedicated the release to "naughty children everywhere" and spoke about the power of praying according to her. [13] While on the Re-Invention World Tour of 2004, Madonna visited London's Great Ormond Street Hospital, where her daughter Lourdes read an excerpt from the book to a group of ailing children. [14]
The cover art and the images inside were painted by Russian illustrator Gennady Spirin. [10] This was Spirin's first time working with a contemporary author and story, and was initially uncomfortable with the mayhem surrounding Madonna. He clarified that the ideas given to him were "clear" and "style parameters were set", which resulted in crafting the characters "amazingly quickly". Since the story was set in 18th century Europe, Spirin chose Baroque painting as inspiration since it made the book "dressier, but at the same time preserves the dramatic element and the psychological characteristics of each of the characters". [15]
Three weeks after its release, Yakov and the Seven Thieves debuted at number seven on The New York Times Best Seller list in the category for Children's Picture books. [16] [17] The sales fell drastically, as observed by Edward Wyatt from The New York Times, and it sold just 27,000 copies according to Nielsen BookScan. This was much less from the 321,000 copies sold of The English Roses and the 127,000 copies of Mr. Peabody's Apples. [18]
Positive review came from The Des Moines Register with critic Maria Sudekum Fisher complimenting the "redemption arc" of the storyline. [19] The Children's BBC did not find any "weak bits" in the book and listed the introduction of the thieves as well as the illustrations as highlight. [20] Canada.com found Yakov to be the best among Madonna's three released books, feeling that "the story moves along nicely and gets its message about redemption across without being too preachy. it's also appropriately written for its target audience". [21] An article in The Economist felt that had any unknown author released Yakov and the Seven Thieves, it would not have received much promotion. The review noted that the message in the story was distinct, describing it as "a more overtly religious message than is normally encountered in children's picture books" and found the moral as "purely medieval Catholicism". The critic added that "for all the ecumenical confusion, the message is heartfelt and the delivery straightforward. [Madonna] has a vivid and direct writing style—presumably the product of two decades of song-writing experience." [22]
The Publishers Weekly complimented Spirin's illustrations and Madonna's comic writing while describing the seven thieves, but criticized her "soapbox approach" in telling a witty story. The review also noted Spirin adding minute details to the images, including "the smallest features of 18th-century European town life: cobbler's nails, brass drawer-pulls, feather pens, children's toys". [23] Deirdre Donahue from USA Today also complimented Spirin's paintings, but was critical of the story, calling it "dreary and inappropriate" as well as "lackluster and verbose". She criticized the fact that Spirin's name was not present on the book cover art and felt that Yakov and the Seven Thieves was the "worst" of Madonna's three published children's books. "Dying children, prayers, criminals praying to open the gates of heaven. It's positively Grimm. Yakov will either bore or frighten children," Donahue concluded. [24] Tim Adams from The Observer compared the release to the work of Hans Christian Andersen, but added that the "triteness of the story and the easiness of the moralising is more than redeemed by the excellence of the illustrations". [25]
Reviewing the book for Tablet , Ayelet Waldman found the moral of the story as "unsatisfying and somehow ill-constructed", as well as "half-baked". She complimented Spirin's paintings describing them as "complex and multilayered" like Renaissance paintings, but found it odd that the renderings were not Jewish, and instead the illustrator gave a Tudor town. Waldman believed that Yakov and the Seven Thieves would become "a staple of Hanukkah gift-giving. It's a muddled and simplistic story [...] but the illustrations are lovely and the title sounds like those of all the other boring Jewish storybooks." [26] Jane Doonan from Times Educational Supplement listed the artwork as the "best reason" for buying the book, since she felt that the "internal logic of the story doesn't bear inspection, and the mawkishness and moralising is unappealing". [27]
Region | Date | Format | Publisher | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
United States | June 21, 2004 | Hardcover | Callaway | [28] |
Paperback | [29] | |||
Spain | Hardcover | Scholastic | [30] | |
Worldwide | June 23, 2004 | Audio book | Callaway/Puffin | [31] |
John Ray Grisham Jr. is an American novelist, lawyer and former member of the 7th district of the Mississippi House of Representatives, known for his popular legal thrillers. According to the American Academy of Achievement, Grisham has written 28 consecutive number-one fiction bestsellers, and his books have sold 300 million copies worldwide. Along with Tom Clancy and J. K. Rowling, Grisham is one of only three authors to have sold two million copies on a first printing.
The New York Times Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. Since October 12, 1931, The New York Times Book Review has published the list weekly. In the 21st century, it has evolved into multiple lists, grouped by genre and format, including fiction and nonfiction, hardcover, paperback and electronic.
Madonna Louise Ciccone is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Dubbed the "Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, and visual presentation. She has pushed the boundaries of artistic expression in mainstream music, while continuing to maintain control over every aspect of her career. Her works, which incorporate social, political, sexual, and religious themes, have generated both controversy and critical acclaim. A prominent cultural figure crossing both the 20th and 21st centuries, Madonna remains one of the most "well-documented figures of the modern age", with a broad amount of scholarly reviews and literature works on her, as well as an academic mini subdiscipline devoted to her named Madonna studies.
David Raymond Sedaris is an American humorist, comedian, author, and radio contributor. He was publicly recognized in 1992 when National Public Radio broadcast his essay "Santaland Diaries.” He published his first collection of essays and short stories, Barrel Fever, in 1994. His next book, Naked (1997), became his first of a series of New York Times Bestsellers, and his 2000 collection Me Talk Pretty One Day won the Thurber Prize for American Humor.
Sex is a 1992 coffee table book written by American entertainer Madonna, with photography by Steven Meisel Studio and Fabien Baron. It was edited by Glenn O'Brien and published by Warner Books, Maverick and Callaway. The book features adult content including softcore pornography and simulations of sexual acts including sadomasochism.
Andrew David Morton is an English journalist and writer who has published biographies of royal figures such as Diana, Princess of Wales, and celebrity subjects including Tom Cruise, Madonna, Angelina Jolie and Monica Lewinsky; several of his books have been unauthorised and contain contested assertions.
Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young wizard, Harry Potter, and his friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The main story arc concerns Harry's struggle against Lord Voldemort, a dark wizard who intends to become immortal, overthrow the wizard governing body known as the Ministry of Magic and subjugate all wizards and Muggles.
American entertainer Madonna has written eleven coffee table books, eleven articles in different publications and contributed a piece in a biography. She has also ventured into children's literature, writing seven picture books and twelve chapter books. Three of her books have topped The New York Times Best Seller list.
Tess Gerritsen is the pseudonym of Terry Gerritsen, an American novelist and retired general physician.
The English Roses is a children's picture book written by American entertainer Madonna, released on September 15, 2003, by Callaway Arts & Entertainment. Jeffrey Fulvimari illustrated the book with line drawings. A moral tale, it tells the story of four friends who are jealous of a girl called Binah. However, they come to know that Binah's life is not easy and decide to include her in their group.
Nicholas Callaway is an app producer, book publisher, television producer, writer and photographer.
Callaway Arts & Entertainment is a company based in New York founded by Nicholas Callaway. It specializes in the design, production, and publication of illustrated books and multimedia products. The company is known for producing books by Madonna, including Sex (1992) and The English Roses (2003), as well as the Miss Spider series, created originally by David Kirk.
Christopher Paul Colfer is an American actor, singer, and author. He gained international recognition for his portrayal of Kurt Hummel on the television musical Glee (2009–2015). Colfer's portrayal of Kurt received critical praise for which he has been the recipient of several awards, including Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries or Television Film at the 2011 Golden Globe Awards, and three consecutive People's Choice Awards for Favorite Comedic TV Actor in 2013, 2014, and 2015. In April 2011, Colfer was named one of the Time 100, Time's list of the 100 most influential people in the world.
Madonna: An Intimate Biography is a book by American author J. Randy Taraborrelli, chronicling the life of American singer Madonna. The book was released in April 2001 by Sidgwick & Jackson in the United Kingdom, and in the United States by Simon & Schuster in August 2001. Taraborrelli first considered writing the book in 1990, but, realizing the project might be premature in respect to Madonna's fledgling career, set it aside. He began writing the book in 1996, when Madonna gave birth to her daughter Lourdes.
Gennady Spirin is a Russian painter and children's book illustrator. A graduate of the Surikov School of Fine Art in Moscow and the Moscow Stroganov Institute of Art, he is noted for his unique style of watercolor illustration. He has illustrated works by classic authors such as William Shakespeare, Anton Chekhov and Leo Tolstoy as well as children's books by contemporary celebrities. He is perhaps best known for his illustration of Madonna's Yakov and the Seven Thieves and Julie Andrews' Simeon's Gift. His oil paintings hang in public and private galleries throughout the world. He has been profiled by The New York Times. His depiction of The Nutcracker was selected by Saks Fifth Avenue as the centerpiece of their famous Christmas display in 1997 and 1998. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1992, Spirin immigrated with his wife and sons to the United States, ultimately settling in Princeton, NJ, where he has lived and worked since.
Monster Musume is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Okayado. The series is published in Japan by Tokuma Shoten in their Monthly Comic Ryū magazine and by Seven Seas Entertainment in the United States, with the chapters collected and reprinted into seventeen tankōbon volumes to date. Monster Musume revolves around Kimihito Kurusu, a Japanese student whose life is thrown into turmoil after accidentally becoming involved with the "Interspecies Cultural Exchange" program.
Life with My Sister Madonna is an autobiography by American artist, designer and interior decorator Christopher Ciccone and author Wendy Leigh. The book is a memoir about Ciccone's relationship with his sister, American singer Madonna, and was released on July 14, 2008 by Simon Spotlight Entertainment. A tell-all book, it details Ciccone's life spent with Madonna, and unknown aspects of the singer's life. The relationship between Ciccone and Madonna had deteriorated over the years, following the singer's refusal to employ him as her tour director. Writing the book was a catharsis for him and he contacted Leigh. Together they developed the project secretly and offered it to Simon Spotlight Entertainment for publication.
Mr. Peabody's Apples is a picture book written by American entertainer Madonna, released on November 10, 2003, by Callaway Arts & Entertainment. The book contains a moral tale, inspired by a 300-year-old story by Rabbi Baal Shem Tov, that Madonna had heard from her Kabbalah teacher. Its main protagonist, Mr. Peabody, is subjected to rumors spread by a young boy and teaches him a lesson. Mr. Peabody's Apples is illustrated by Loren Long who took inspiration from American regionalist painters, and modeled the characters after real-life people.
The Adventures of Abdi is a picture book written by American entertainer Madonna. It was released on November 8, 2004, by Callaway Arts & Entertainment. The book is a moral tale inspired from a 300 year-old story by rabbi Baal Shem Tov, that Madonna had heard from her Kabbalah teacher. It tells the story of Abdi who was given the task of delivering a precious necklace to the queen. Madonna was inspired to write The Adventures of Abdi by the settings in "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" and other folk stories from One Thousand and One Nights. Published in a 32-page jacketed hardcover format, the book was illustrated by Russian painters Olga Dugina and Andrej Dugin. Madonna promoted the release by appearing for book signing events as well as on television shows. The Adventures of Abdi was criticized for being Orientalist and promoting Kabbalah to children; its illustrations received positive feedback.
Lotsa de Casha is a picture book written by American entertainer Madonna. It was released on June 7, 2005, by Callaway Arts & Entertainment. The book was written for readers aged six and up. The book's titular character is an Italian greyhound who learns the moral "money can't buy happiness". Madonna drew from her life when writing the story, from denouncing materialism to her motherhood. Portuguese artist Rui Paes illustrated the book, and modeled his illustrations on Renaissance and Baroque painting, and the works of painter Caravaggio.