National Geographic-Tales from Arabian Nights by Donna Jo Napoli illustrations by Christina Balit

Stories of Adventure, Magic, Love and Betrayal
Sheherazade tells Shah Rayar a tale each night, leaving it unfinished so he does not kill her.  Since Shah Rayar's first wife betrayed him, he vowed never to trust a woman again. So every day he marries a new wife and by end of the night, he has her killed.  To save the women of the land, Sheherazade marries  him and tells him such an intriguing suspenseful stories, he keeps her alive.
This book includes the stories she tells him plus her story of clever survival. 
The book is lavishly illustrated. 
I really appreciated the side bars which include facts about Muslims, Islam, Arabs plus other Medieval history.
My eleven year old read parts of this book to himself to support our study of the Medieval Middle East.
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.