Beowulf [Hardcover]

James Rumford (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

When sleep was at its deepest, night at its blackest, up from the mist-filled marsh came Grendel stalking . . .

Thus begins the battle between good and evil, for lying in wait and anxious to challenge the ogre Grendel is a young man, strong-willed and fire-hearted. This man is Beowulf, whose heroic dragon-slaying deeds were sung in the courts of Anglo-Saxon England more than a thousand years ago.

Award-winning author and illustrator James Rumford forges his own account of Beowulf with the few Anglo-Saxon words still present in our language. These ironstrong ancient words recall the boldness of the original poem and, together with Rumford’s pen-and-ink illustrations, they fashion an unforgettable story of a hero who never gave up—no matter how difficult the struggle—no matter how deep and dark the night.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Beowulf 's action-heavy and single-minded take on heroism makes it an appealing choice for younger readers, while posing the challenge of tempering the intensity of the violent, limb-rending bloodbaths that make up much of the story. Rumford's version only lightly drips with gore, though, as he is more focused on preserving the language of the eighth-century epic. He carefully deploys only words derived from the Anglo-Saxon of the original—those that evoke a simpler, sterner, and more perilous age, and retells the tale in an evenly measured cadence, which sounds great read aloud in as booming a voice as possible. The busy pen-and-ink artwork, while rough, is suitably dramatic and expressive, washed by pestilential sage-hued greens, murky underwater blues, and the golden whorls of dragon's breath. Rumford is obviously passionate about the source and admirably encourages readers to seek out the original, whose ancient words will make the night darker, the shadows deeper, and, perhaps, your heart bolder. This fine introduction may inspire them to do just that. Chipman, Ian

Review

Superb on all counts--from the elegant bookmaking to the vigorous, evocative prose . . . to the pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations that strikingly recall the work of Edmund Dulac. Rumford even manages to hint at the poem's emotional depths in his concise retelling, which is written almost entirely using English words of Anglo-Saxon origin. The book design is similarly fundamental, with the three distinct parts of the story delineated by green, blue, and yellow backgrounds. Most effective of all is the dragon lurking--sinuously, patiently--behind the panels of the first two sections, foreshadowing Beowulf's eventual fate.
Horn Book, Starred

"[A] stunningly strong and melodic text that begs to be read aloud...sinuous line and expressive postures add fuel..."--The Bulletin The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"This hearty account...has terrific art that conveys terror and triumph." The San Francisco Chronicle 11/18/07 The San Francisco Chronicle

"[C]ommanding illustrations and concise prose retellings...make the most of the epic's narrative power." Star Tribune 11/22/07 The Star Tribune

"[V]ery cleverly adapted." NYTBR June 2007 The New York Times Book Review

"Breathtaking pen-and-ink and watercolor paintings." SLJ December 2007 School Library Journal

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children; None edition (August 6, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 061875637X
• ISBN-13: 978-0618756377
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #739,818 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #54 in Books > Children's Books > Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths > Norse

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very nice., January 3, 2008

By 

Robert P. Beveridge "xterminal" (Lakewood, OH) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Beowulf (Hardcover)

James Rumford, Beowulf: A Hero's Tale Retold (Houghton Mifflin, 2007)

James Rumford's challenge in writing this short adaptation of Beowulf was to do it using only words that would have been present in its original language. He found that he couldn't do it-- Old English lacked indefinite articles, for one thing, and Old English already had some cognates he couldn't get around ("dragon", for example)-- but that he managed to come as close as he did, and still manage to adapt the story in such a way as to make it suitable for young readers, is quite a feat. Some parents might find the resultant text a bit strong for their youngsters, but let's face it, you can't tell the story of Beowulf and his epic battles against various monsters without a bit of nastiness. And, to be fair, the kiddies are going to love it. There's nothing here any more violent than one finds in the Roadrunner cartoons. The diction is clipped and precise, though fast-paced, and the drawings are exquisite, if a bit crude (one assumes, given the subject matter, this was by design). Well worth it, especially if you're using it as part of a larger plot to introduce your kids to the classics. ****

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing - Beowulf for young kids!, May 15, 2009

By 

Greg J. Lovern - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Beowulf (Hardcover)

I was amazed to stumble across this at the library. It presents a reasonably authentic Beowulf to a very young audience, in a way the kids will love. Or at least boys anyway.

I read it tonight to my oldest two, ages 5 and 3; both boys. They were fascinated and the older one had several questions that led to interesting discussions about what life and people were like in the time and place depicted. Knowing them, they'll probably ask to have it read to them again.

The fact that the language was (mostly) limited to words that already existed in the language at the time, before the big influence of the French language began in 1066, is fascinating, if too cerebral to expect my 5 year old to understand.

I'd give it more than 5 stars if I could. This book transcends Amazon's star system. Taking such an old classic and making it so engaging and exciting for such young children today is a very special achievement.

I'd like to see this kind of treatment for other very old classics.


UPDATE:

We've now had the book for about a month. The boys love it, and have chosen it several times for bedtime reading. My wife complains that it takes me almost half an hour to read, and that is a bit long for bedtime reading for their ages, but it's so worth it.

The library will want it back soon. We'll need to get a copy of our own.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rich language. Transcends age categories., March 16, 2011

By 

Peter B. Nelson (Pine Island, MN USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Beowulf (Hardcover)

Someone at Houghton Mifflin deserves a lot of credit for discovering Rumford. As others note, he uses the gimmick of only English words having Germanic roots, but there's much more to this triumph than that.

Now, I'm a decidedly amateur poetry reader, so bear with me while I struggle to put this into words... his sentences scan; they have rhythm, and meter. He did not go out of his way to recreate the original alliterative verse like Sullivan and Murphy's sublime Beowulf, A Longman Cultural Edition (better than Heaney, imho); he uses no overt rhyming or alliteration. And yet, reading these out loud, you will hear the strong beats, the stresses that just keep coming and coming, pounding and pounding, until you feel almost as though you are chanting a poem. I spend 45 minutes a night reading to my three and five year old, and, trust me, this one reads well. I'll try to give a few examples, chosen more or less at random.

Here is a sentence from the first page, "I will speak of ogres and dragons and faraway lands." The rhythm runs like this: "da da da da DAda da DAda da DAdada dum". That DAdada DAdada DAdada dum really rolls off the tongue. If that makes no sense, try this, I'll rewrite it with strong syllables in all-caps. i will speak of O-gres and DRA-gons and FAR-a-way Lands. If you say it out loud you'll hear the beat.

Another example, "Soon the hall was filled with talk of the coming fight." Soon the HALL was FILLED with TALK of the COM-ing FIGHT. Dum da DA da DA da DA da da DA da DA.

Another, "When those on the bank saw the reddening waters they feared the worst." when THOSE on the BANK saw the RED-den-ing WAT-ers they FEARED the Worst". da DA da da DA da da DA da da DA da da DA da dum. That last word, worst, has a sort of medium stress, but when reading out loud it naturally falls a little lower than usual to preserve the rhythm.

Enough, already. You see my point. I suppose it's possible that his choice of germanic-root words just created a superabundance of stresses, and by pure random coincidence some of them fell into occassional patterns. But I doubt it; I prefer to think Rumsford is simply brilliant.

About the age-recommendation. I strongly disagree with Amazon.com's stated age of "9-12". I am reading it to my 3 and 5 year olds, and they adore it. I find that good writing is easier to understand. The rear cover itself says "Ages: Strong-hearted and up." I get a kick out of that.

About the artwork: it's good, more "artsy" than "comic book". But you can judge for yourself with Amazon.com's look-inside feature. You should know that there is an illustration on every page. My children enjoyed pointing out little details to me: a raven here, a dragon tail there. I'm sure that helps them appreciate it more, even if they don't always follow the language. There are about 100 words on an average page, some more, some less. This takes just a minute or two to read, and then it's on to the next page and a new illustration.

As I keep saying, when it comes to children's books, they get read, and read, and read, and read, and so it matters a lot that daddy can stand to read them. There has to be some overlap between what children enjoy and what daddy can tolerate. This one is a pleasure. A gift.