Caedmon's Song [Hardcover]

Ruth Ashby (Author), Bill Slavin (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 6 and up | Grade Level: 1 and up

Long ago, when hardly anyone knew how to read or write, people recited stories by heart. They sat around the hearth at night, telling of heroes and monsters, great battles fought, and fortunes made and lost. On feast days, they passed the harp around the room so that everyone could sing a poem. But when the harp reached Caedmon, his thoughts dried up. He opened his mouth and nothing at all came out. It was embarrassing. No wonder he hated poetry. A quiet man who loved tending his cows, Caedmon couldnt recite poetry because he thought he had no stories to tell. Then after one especially upsetting experience, Caedmon stormed home, fell asleep in the barn, and began to dream. That night, everything changed for Caedmon . . . With jovial, heartwarming illustrations and beautifully illuminated letters, this tale is based on the true story of Caedmon, the seventh-century cowherd who became known as the first English poet.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-3–Ashby introduces a seventh-century man often called the first English poet. Caedmon was a cowherd who, ironically, detested poetry. He lived in an oral society and everyone else seemed capable of storytelling but him. When a tongue-tied Caedmon left a feast early and went to sleep with his cows, he dreamed of a man who commanded him to sing about what he knew. He opened his mouth and the words of his best-known poem, Caedmons Hymn, came out. When he awoke, he told his friend, who deemed it a miracle. He gave up his cows to live as a monk and to create songs. The text is clear and direct; mercifully, Ashby makes no attempt to re-create the Old English spoken in Caedmons time (other than in a biographical note at the end). She creates a sympathetic protagonist, a man who is not ambitious but who, when the time is right, answers his calling. A modern audience might find this calling unusual, but they will certainly relate to the awkwardness and inadequacy he feels, and the satisfaction he takes from what is comfortable and familiar to him. Slavins acrylic illustrations complement the story, sometimes re-creating Caedmons world, sometimes re-creating the look of an ancient manuscript. This book will appeal to children who like historical fiction, but it will be too difficult for new readers to tackle on their own.–Kara Schaff Dean, Needham Public Library, MA
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About the Author

Ruth Ashby has written a number of books for children. Most recently, she wrote Pteranodon: The Life Story of a Pterosaur (Abrams), Anne Frank: Young Diarist (Aladdin), and Rocket Man: The Mercury Adventure of John Glenn (Peachtree), which was a NSTA-CBC Outstanding Science Trade Books selection. She lives in Huntington, New York.

Bill Slavin has been writing and drawing since he was seven years old. His more than fifty books for children include Stanley’s Party by Linda Bailey (Kids Can Press), which earned the Canadian Library Association’s Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustrator’s Medal; Something to Tell the Grandcows by Eileen Spinelli (Eerdmans), and The Stone Lion (Red Deer Press), which Bill also authored. He lives in Millbrook, Ontario.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers (January 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802852416
• ISBN-13: 978-0802852410
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 8.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #140,102 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #36 in Books > Children's Books > Biographies > Literary

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A profound spiritual tale, October 6, 2006

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Caedmon's Song (Hardcover)

Written by Ruth Ashby and illustrated by Bill Slavin, Caedmon's Song is a picturebook rendition of the true story of Caedmon, the seventh-century cowheard who became known as the first English poet. For years, during festivals, Caedmon was unable to take the harp passed around and sing of bloody or savage battles - but one night inspiration struck, and he thought to sing of what he knew. He sang of his faith in the Lord, and praise for God's creations. He found his true calling as a monk, and his place in history. A profound spiritual tale, brought beautifully to life with full-color artwork.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Introduction to Old English Poetry for Children, March 26, 2006

By 

Old English Scholar "Widsith" (Washington DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Caedmon's Song (Hardcover)

This charmingly illustrated book retells the story of Caedmon, the first Anglo Saxon poet known to us by name,from Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English people. Caedmon, a cowherd, flees the great hall each night when the harp is passed to him, since he is unable to compose a song / poem to sing to his companions. One night, however, a mysterious stranger instructs him in a dream in the art of poetry, and Caedmon returns to his companions able to sing and compose poems about all that has happened "since the creation of world and the beginnings of the human race." The text is accompanied by a biographical note that includes the Old English text of Caedmon's Hymn (the only surviving fragment of Caedmon's poetry) and a brief introduction to Old English vocabulary. Recommended for anyone interested in introducing children to the history and literature of Anglo Saxon England.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Story, October 15, 2009

By 

Erin E. Caldwell (Dayton, OH) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Caedmon's Song (Hardcover)

We got this book for my son and he loved it. It is a simple yet interesting story with great pictures. It's hard to find good children's books about the saints--this one is an exception. We loved it.