Don Quixote (Oxford Illustrated Classics) - Softcover

Cervantes, Miguel De

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0192741829 ISBN 13: 9780192741820

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 1999

Synopsis

He lived in a small village in a dusty corner of Spain, a bony man of about fifty. He had little to do, and so he read. The flickering candle flame filled the corners of his room with ghostly shadows of giants and of dragons--for the only books he read were about the knights of old who roamed the countryside seeking adventures. The horizon stretched out an invitation. He knew that he too must be a knight, and travel on a quest for adventures. So he found a suit of rusty armor, made himself a visor of cardboard and tin, and he called himself Don Quixote de la Mancha.
In this spirited, lively retelling of the famous Cervantes classic, Michael Harrison's clear and lively style is beautifully complemented by Victor Ambrus's evocative paintings of the landscape of sixteenth-century Spain.

About this title

About the Author:

Michael Harrison is the editor and compiler of a number of Oxford anthologies, including The Oxford Treasury of Children's Stories, The Oxford Book of Animal Poems, Bright Star Shining and The Oxford Book of Story Poems.
Victor G. Ambrus has illustrated over 200 books. He has won the Kate Greenaway Medal twice and lives in the UK.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 3-7-This retelling of episodes from the Cervantes classic starts a little slowly, but the pace picks up considerably once the proverb-spouting Sancho Panza makes his appearance. Harrison selects only a few key adventures; the afterword describes the sections that were left out. His language captures the style of the original, and the transitions are generally smooth. The afterword recommends a translation of the whole book and provides biographical information about the author. Ambrus's artwork is well suited to the story; he captures the personalities of both knight and squire without reducing them to caricatures. Glowing watercolors alternate with either black-and-white sketches or silhouettes. The oversized format with its clear type and good use of white space is appropriate to the folk-tale style, although it may not appeal to older readers. While there is debate about the appropriateness of retelling (or abridging) classics, there is also an audience for them, and Harrison's offering treats the original with respect.?Donna L. Scanlon, Lancaster County Library, PA
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0192741829
• ISBN 13: 9780192741820
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 96
• Editor: Harrison Michael
• Illustrator: Ambrus Victor G.