Beowulf - Softcover

Micheal Morpurgo

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1406305979 ISBN 13: 9781406305975

Publisher: Walker Childrens Paperbacks, 2007

Synopsis

In fifth-century Denmark, a murderous monster stalks the night, and only the great prince of the Geats has the strength and courage to defeat him. Beowulf's terrifying quest to destroy Grendel, the foul fiend, a hideous sea-hag and a monstrous fire-dragon is the oldest surviving epic in British literature. Artfully retold and magnificently illustrated, this companion volume to "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" is made instantly accessible to children by a formidable children's book partnership.

About this title

About the Author

Michael Morpurgo, the 2003-2005 Children's Laureate, is widely recognized as a master storyteller, and has won numerous awards for his work, including the Smarties Book Prize, the Writer's Guild Award and the Children's Book Award (for The Wreck of the Zanzibar). 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, most recently for War Boy. His titles for Walker Books include Beowulf (9781844287543), Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (9781844287307) and Mia's Story (9781844282784). He lives in London.

From School Library Journal

Grade 7 Up–Morpurgo retells the classic story of the courageous young warrior from the land of Geats (now southern Sweden) who used his brute strength to save the neighboring Danes, then his own kinsmen, by slaying two horrible monsters, a sea serpent, and a massive dragon. The tale has been divided into three segments: the story of the monster Grendel's defeat; the slaying of his mother, the sea-hag; and the battle with the death dragon of the deep. Morpurgo has retold the tale in twisting, long-winded sentences that call to mind the way in which old epics were recounted by poets and bards. The text-filled pages framed with a Celtic-style border are broken up with small watercolor illustrations tucked here and there to help move things along. Many attractive full-page watercolor and pastel paintings illustrate important action-filled scenes–battles, a banquet, and Beowulf's funeral pyre. Morpurgo's short acknowledgment states that his inspiration for this version of the Old English classic came from the likes of Seamus Heaney, Rosemary Sutcliffe, and Kevin Crossley-Holland. The lack of introductory material and historical background is noticeable but overall this is a fine retelling.–Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH
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Edition details

• Publisher: Walker Childrens Paperbacks
• Publication date: 2007
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1406305979
• ISBN 13: 9781406305975
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 96