The Canterbury Tales [Paperback]

Geraldine McCaughrean (Adapter), Geoffrey Chaucer (Author), Victor G. Ambrus (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2, 1998

They set off on an April morning with the rain dripping from the branches. Even with the rain, they were glad to be on their way--priests, nuns, tradesmen, men from the city, all pilgrims on the road to Canterbury.
To pass the long journey they told each other stories: of magic and trickery, of animals with blazing eyes, of people with their pants on fire, of two thousand men battling before smoking walls, stories of love and death and the devil. There were written down by Geoffrey Chaucer, and he called them The Canterbury Tales.
Geraldine McCaughrean retells The Canterbury Tales for children in a lively and humorous style which captures the original flair of Chaucer himself. She introduces us to the characters who told these tales: the shy, battle-hardened Knight, the Summoner whose breath smells of onions, the angry Miller with his read beard, and the Widow of Bath who likes a happy ending.
The stories and the characters are vividly brought to life by Victor Ambrus, with pictures of wild chases, exciting battles, and the April countryside through which the pilgrims travel.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"McCaughrean's accomplished prose version of the medieval classic retains the basic plot and humor of Chaucer's original poem. Colorful detailed illustrations accompany an accessible introduction to the medieval masterpiece."--The Horn Book Guide

About the Author

Geraldine McCaughrean, who lives in the UK, has also written One Thousand and One Arabian Nights, El Cid, and Moby Dick, all volumes in the Oxford Illustrated Classics series. Victor G. Ambrus has illustrated over 200 books. He has won the Kate Greenaway Medal twice and lives in the UK.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (April 2, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0192781235
• ISBN-13: 978-0192781239
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,196,863 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

It's 30 years now since I first got published, and 50 since I found out how writing let me step outside my little, everyday world and go wherever I chose - way back in Time, to far distant shores, towards my own, home-made happy ending. Not that all my books are an easy ride. I write adventure, first and foremost, because that's what I enjoyed reading as a child. But since I have published over 150 books now, there are all manner of books in among that number - gorgeously illustated picture books, easy readers, prize winners, teenage books and five adult novels.
The White Darkness won the Printz Award in the USA, which, for as Englishwoman, was the most amazing, startling thrill.
Then there was Peter Pan in Scarlet - official sequel to J M Barrie's Peter Pan, written on behalf of Great Ormond Street Hopsital for Sick Children. I won the chance to write that in a worldwide competition, and because Peter Pan is loved everywhere, my book sold worldwide too. I can't say I expected that when, as a child, I dreamed of being like my older brother and getting a book published one day.
These days I have a husband (who's good at continuity and spelling) and a daughter who is an excellent editor. But she's at the Royal Academy of Dramtic Art now, studying to become an actor. So, naturally, I have turned my hand to writing plays. (So many actors, so few plays!)
My Mum told me, "Never boil your cabbages twice, dear," which was her way of saying, "Don't repeat yourself." So I have tried never to write the same book twice. You'll find all my novels quite different from one another. I have also done lots of retellings of myth, legend, folk and fairy tales, and adapted indigestible classics such as El Cid, the Epic of Gilgamesh, The Odyssey, Moby Dick, Shakespeare and the Pilgrim's Progress.
Something for everyone, you see, my dear young, not-so-young, eccentric, middle-of-the-road, poetical, sad, cheerful, timid or reckless reader.
All they have in common is that they all contain words. If you are allergic to words, you'd best not open the covers.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars DO YOUR KID (AND YOURSELF) A FAVOR...GET THEM THIS WONDERFUL WORK., March 5, 2011

By 

D. Blankenship (The Ozarks) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Canterbury Tales (Oxford Illustrated Classics Series) (Paperback)

"Whan that Aprille with his shoures soote
The droghte of March hath perced to the roote...."

So begins the first two lines in the original tale by Geoffrey Chaucer when he wrote it in about 1387.

Well, to get a young child to read and understand this is a daunting task; he or she will have a multitude of problems understanding the text unless he or she is familiar and indeed, fluent in Middle English. I know of few young children in this day and age that hold these qualifications...hey, I have been reading and studying this stuff for many, many years and even I (although I admit to not being that bright to begin with), have troubles with it.

And what a shame this is. The Canterbury Tales have much to give us and when the reader fully understands the words and stories, they are entertaining, funny, informative and simply a pure joy. So what to do? How can we introduce our young folks to one of the great pillars of the English literary cannon? How do we create an interest which will lead them to continue their reading and investigation; thereby increasing their reading joy, as they grow older? How can we set them up so that later they can fully understand and appreciate our English language and our English story telling traditions?

I must tell you...this book by Geraldine McCaughrean and illustrated by Victor G. Ambrus is a very, very good and wonderful start.

The author has taken these classic tales and rewritten them so that our "modern" youth can understand them. I note the target age on this book is for children between the ages of 4 and 8. To be honest though, I truly feel that this is a miss and that this work is geared more for those between the ages of 8 and 14. (More about that latter.)

The book has been set up at the beginning of the journey and each tale is told in order, although you will note that the names of the stories have been changed to be a bit more user friendly. We have titles such as:

The Knight's tale of Chivalry and Rivalry
The Miller's story is A Barrel of Laughs
The Wife of Bath tells us What Women Most Desire
The Franklin's romance, entitled Love on the Rocks

and so on....

It should be noted here that the author has removed the more "earthy" aspect of Chaucer's writing and made it completely child appropriate. Do note though that this IS NOT a "Dick and Jane" type of book. The author has kept the essence of the story alive and there are aspects of each story that may require some adult explanation from time to time. This is good though as it moves the child into a different level of learning. Let me give you an example of this:

"The Sea Captain was much less polite. `When I was sailing a dhow on the Red Sea, I sank a ship carrying two hundred Holy Grails, a flock of sheep's bones - and each one bottled and labeled with a different saint's name - and enough splinters from the Cross to build Noah's ark all over again. As for Our Lady's head-cloth - that's all supposing she dressed like the Widow here - I've seen enough to make sails for the English fleet!"

The book is heavily and wonderfully illustrated by Victor G. Ambrus and the paintings are almost as much a delight as the text.

Now I know there are those of you who are purists out there...I am a bit of one myself, but in the case of this particular work I personally feel what the author has done is perfectly appropriate. I realize that there are those youths that can do it, but in all truth trying to get a Jr. High kid or High School student to read and enjoy the original in Middle English...well, good luck with that!

There have been several editions of this work published over the years. The one being reviewed here is the 1984 edition from Childrens Press Choice - Rand McNally.

NOTE: As to the age group targeted by this work. To be quite frank, as an adult who is quite familiar with the original, I must admit that I enjoyed this work greatly and see no reason what so ever for an adult reader not taking advantage of its availability.

Anyway...do your kid a favor and add this one to their library...you can sneak around and read it yourself when she or he is playing their video games.

Don Blankenship
The Ozarks

10 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A VERY IN DEPTH LOOK AT SOCIETY IN THE MIDDLE AGES, June 21, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Canterbury Tales (Paperback)

CHAUCER EXPLORES THE DARKER SIDE OF HUMANITY IN THE CANTERBURY TALES. RELIGION IS TESTED, AND THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IS PROVEN CORRUPT. STORIES INSIDE STORIES ARE IMAGINITIVE AND FUNNY.