DK Read & Listen: Robin Hood

Recounts the life and adventures of Robin Hood, who, with his band of followers, lived in Sherwood Forest as an outlaw dedicated to fighting tyranny, and includes illustrated notes throughout the text which explain the historical background of the story.

Grade 3-5. This retelling stays true to the tale of Robin Hood, handed down through 14th-century ballads. Philip's version is fast-moving, readable, and child-friendly without becoming inane. His language generally evokes a sense of time and place. He does not change folklore, a relief in the onslaught of '90s politically correct revisionists. The problem here is not with the teller, but the typical "Eyewitness" series layout. The 11-chapter book is interrupted every two or three chapters for double-page spreads of background facts about forest life, religion, archery, and the crusades. Distracting illustrated footnotes border almost every page of the story. More importance is placed on information than on the narrative. In addition to the watercolors, there are photos and clippings from various archives: art, history, and movies. Harris favors a shorter, chunkier, probably more authentic Robin Hood than other artists have in the past. However, the Robin on the cover (a reverse image of an interior painting), looks stoned or witless, with feet as long as his calves. Marion, next to Robin, looks like an anorexic junkie. Bodies are well drawn, but stiff. Grade schoolers may be attracted to the Richard Scarry kind of busyness. Teachers will love the facts. This is, in short, geared to the short attention spans of the electronic information age.?Helen Gregory, Grosse Pointe Public Library, MI
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