Lugalbanda: The Boy Who Got Caught Up in a War: An Epic Tale From Ancient Iraq (Aesop Prize (Awards)) - Hardcover

Henderson, Kathy

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0763627828 ISBN 13: 9780763627829

Publisher: Candlewick, 2006

Synopsis

Found in Iraq and older than the Bible, the Koran, or the Torah, this stirring epic - the world's oldest written story - now becomes available to a general readership for the very first time.

Lugalbanda woke with a jolt. He opened his eyes and what did he see but the terrible Anzu bird beating its wings in its nest high above. . . . Did he quake? Did he quail? No. Lugalbanda the Brave sat and stared, and into his head came a brilliant idea.

Before the Bible and the Koran, before even the Greek and Roman myths, there came a story from the land we now call Iraq. Speaking across five thousand years, in a voice so fresh and timeless it could have been written yesterday, this tale tells of an extraordinary journey, of a magical bird, of a battle that wouldn't end, and of wisdom gained. It is the story of Lugalbanda, a boy in a time of war.

Etched on clay tablets in cuneiform, lost underground for thousands of years, and rediscovered just 150 years ago, this account of the epic adventures of a loyal, resourceful boy is renarrated in lyrical prose by Kathy Henderson and set against Jane Ray's glorious images glinting with gold.

About this title

From the Publisher:

Etched on clay tablets in cuneiform, lost underground for thousands of years, and rediscovered just 150 years ago, this account of the epic adventures of a loyal, resourceful boy is renarrated in lyrical prose by Kathy Henderson and set against Jane Ray’s glorious images glinting with gold.

From the Author:

KATHY HENDERSON: "The timing was extraordinary. Here was a story that was incredibly old, powerful, and mysterious, from a civilization I’d barely heard of, and yet it spoke straight to the present. Just as extraordinary was that almost nobody knew about it. All through the process of making the book, I’ve felt hugely privileged to be able to play even a small part in bringing this story back to life."

About this edition

• Publisher: Candlewick
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0763627828
• ISBN 13: 9780763627829
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 80
• Illustrator: Ray Jane