Sir Gawain and the Green Knight - Hardcover

Michael Morpurgo

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0744586461 ISBN 13: 9780744586466

Publisher: Walker Books Ltd, 2004

Synopsis

A witty Arthurian tale receives a wondrous translation by England's Children's Laureate and an award-winning artist.Think yourself back in years, my friends. . . .It's New Year's Eve in Camelot, where King Arthur, Queen Guinevere, and all their good Knights wait breathlessly for an extravagant feast to begin. Suddenly, a strange and frightening Knight bursts into the hall — a giant of a man, green from head to toe, who mockingly challenges the Court to a shocking game. Only the chivalrous Sir Gawain dares to take on the hideous Green Knight. But over the unexpected course of his test,will Gawain prove as brave and honest as he'd like to believe? Welcome to a medieval world full of sword fights and shape-shifting, monsters and magic, and timeless characters both gallant and wonderfully human. Written anonymously in the fourteenth century, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is retold in its entirety by Michael Morpurgo in a lively and accessible narration that captures all the tale's drama and humor. Vivid illustrations by the celebrated Michael Foreman infuse this classic tale with the sights and colors of dragons, swords, and medieval pageantry.

About this title

About the Author

Michael Morpurgo has over 90 books to his name, many of which have been adapted for film and television and have won numerous prizes, including both the Whitbread Award and the Children's Book Award. He is the current Children's Laureate. Michael lives in Devon. Michael Foreman is one of the world's leading illustrators. He has won several major awards, including the Kate Greenaway Medal twice (most recently for "War Boy"). Michael lives in London.

From School Library Journal

Starred Review. Grade 5-8–In the vibrant and compelling voice of a storyteller, Morpurgo retells this classic tale. With a lively, page-turning style, he sets the scene as a crude, gigantic stranger rides into King Arthur's hall. Sir Gawain accepts the challenge of the monstrous man and beheads the Green Knight with a single swing of his battle-ax. But then the enchanted knight picks up his severed head and announces that Gawain must, on his honor, meet his dreadful opponent on the next New Year's Day to receive the same blow. Gawain's travels to the Green Chapel at the end of the year, and the temptations he encounters along the way, are the stuff of legend and, like all folklore, are rich in metaphorical meaning about what it means to be human. Morpurgo's sprightly writing brings out all the humor as well as the horror of the original tale, and Foreman's profuse, evocative watercolor-and-pastel illustrations highlight the drama in each scene so that this version can easily be read on two levels–as a rollicking adventure tale or an allegorical saga, depending on the age and inclination of the reader. Selina Hastings's picture-book version (HarperCollins, 1981; o.p.), illustrated by Juan Wijngaard, is a much-abbreviated retelling; Morpurgo's version is notable for including every nuance of this complex and compelling tale.–Connie C. Rockman, Stratford Library Association, CT
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Edition details

• Publisher: Walker Books Ltd
• Publication date: 2004
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0744586461
• ISBN 13: 9780744586466
• Binding: Hardcover