lee_hillshire's review
I wasn't expecting to care much about this book, but it's actually a nice collection of early/classic/often studied literature that's translated into easily readable language.
nairam1173's review
5.0
Hello, first 5-star book of the year...figures you'd be children's, history, and J398.
I loved this. The tales were very succinct, from the ones I was familiar with (Beowulf, Robin Hood, Roland, Gawain) were loyal depictions in a short space. The ones I wasn't familiar with I want to look up, especially Finn Maccoul. I found the prose very readable. A good introduction.
I especially liked, however, the focus on language Osborne brings up in the introduction. I further liked the background information after the stories (pretty accurate!), and explanation of the illustrations and how the illustrator took medieval elements as inspiration. Each story has one full page illustration and lovely title page.
I think it would work well for introducing kids to these stories, and a discussion of the supplementary elements in the beginning and the back will also start them on the way to understanding the history that the stories come from.
I want one.
I loved this. The tales were very succinct, from the ones I was familiar with (Beowulf, Robin Hood, Roland, Gawain) were loyal depictions in a short space. The ones I wasn't familiar with I want to look up, especially Finn Maccoul. I found the prose very readable. A good introduction.
I especially liked, however, the focus on language Osborne brings up in the introduction. I further liked the background information after the stories (pretty accurate!), and explanation of the illustrations and how the illustrator took medieval elements as inspiration. Each story has one full page illustration and lovely title page.
I think it would work well for introducing kids to these stories, and a discussion of the supplementary elements in the beginning and the back will also start them on the way to understanding the history that the stories come from.
I want one.
dontmissythesereads's review
4.0
Book #64 read in 2006
I enjoyed this book. I liked the simplfied versions of some of the great classics in literature. I can see reading this to my students and having them understand and enjoy this as well.
I enjoyed this book. I liked the simplfied versions of some of the great classics in literature. I can see reading this to my students and having them understand and enjoy this as well.
fieldsla's review
3.0
Very long. Would be best for middle school and up. Includes some classics like Robin Hood and The Sword and the Stone and others I had never heard before.
italianbookworm's review
5.0
I used to love this book as a child. It's part of what turned me to a major in Medieval Studies at university. It still holds up when I reread it as an adult. The stories are very simplified versions of medieval European classics, but it's a good range of tales and most/all the important bits of the stories are there.
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