Collected nearly a millennium ago, these folktales are presented as stories that crafty Scheherazade tells her husband, King Shahryar, over a thousand-and-one consecutive nights, to pique his interest for the next evening's entertainment . . . and save her life. They include ""Sinbad the Sailor,"" ""Aladdin and His Magic Lamp,"" and ""Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves."" Color illustrations by Rene Bull.