Gabriel and the Hour Book (Yesterday's Classics) [Paperback]

Evaleen Stein (Author)

Book Description

Relates the story of the making of an "hour book" as a wedding gift from King Louis of France to Lady Anne of Brittany and the good fortune it brought to little Gabriel, Brother Stephen's color grinder. Inspired by the bunch of violets and cuckoo-buds Gabriel brings into the workroom, Brother Stephen conceives a new idea for an illuminated border. Instead of painting the border with scrolls and birds and flowers in the conventional way, he would decorate the book with borders of gold on which he would paint in realistic fashion the meadow wildflowers, and bees and butterflies, and all the little flying creatures. As Brother Stephen's color grinder, Gabriel makes the ink, grinds the gold, gathers the flowers, and prepares the colors for him. After the book is completed, Gabriel slips into the book a sheet on which he has penned a prayer to Lady Anne: "I, Gabriel Viaud, am Brother Stephen's colour-grinder; and I have made the ink for this book, and the glue, and caught the eels, and ground the gold and colours, and ruled the lines and gathered the flowers for the borders, and so I pray the Lord God will be kind and let my father out of prison in Count Pierre's castle, and tell Count Pierre to give us back our meadow and sheep, for we cannot pay the tax, and mother says we will starve." How his prayer is answered unfolds in the ensuing chapters. Evaleen Stein brings the medieval world to life for younger students through her stories set in the Middle Ages. A century ago when this book was first published, a reviewer in the Louisville Daily Courier wrote, "No works in juvenile fiction contain so many of the elements that stir the hearts of children and grown-ups as well as do the stories so admirably told by this author."

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Relates the story of the making of an "hour book" as a wedding gift from King Louis of France to Lady Anne of Brittany and the good fortune it brought to little Gabriel, Brother Stephen's color grinder.

Inspired by the bunch of violets and cuckoo-buds Gabriel brings into the workroom, Brother Stephen conceives a new idea for an illuminated border. Instead of painting the border with scrolls and birds and flowers in the conventional way, he would decorate the book with borders of gold on which he would paint in realistic fashion the meadow wildflowers, and bees and butterflies, and all the little flying creatures. As Brother Stephen's color grinder, Gabriel makes the ink, grinds the gold, gathers the flowers, and prepares the colors for him. After the book is completed, Gabriel slips into the book a sheet on which he has penned a prayer to Lady Anne: "I, Gabriel Viaud, am Brother Stephen's colour-grinder; and I have made the ink for this book, and the glue, and caught the eels, and ground the gold and colours, and ruled the lines and gathered the flowers for the borders, and so I pray the Lord God will be kind and let my father out of prison in Count Pierre's castle, and tell Count Pierre to give us back our meadow and sheep, for we cannot pay the tax, and mother says we will starve." How his prayer is answered unfolds in the ensuing chapters.

Evaleen Stein brings the medieval world to life for younger students through her stories set in the Middle Ages. A century ago when this book was first published, a reviewer in the Louisville Daily Courier wrote, "No works in juvenile fiction contain so many of the elements that stir the hearts of children and grown-ups as well as do the stories so admirably told by this author."

About the Author

A native of Indiana, Evaleen Stein studied art at the Art Institute in Chicago, specializing in illumination and decorative design of manuscripts. Through her stories set in the Middle Ages, she brings the medieval world to life for younger students. In addition to Gabriel and the Hour Book, she also wrote A Little Shepherd of Provence, The Little Count of Normandy, Troubadour Tales, The Christmas Porringer, and Pepin: A Tale of Twelfth Night. She also authored a number of volumes in the "Our Little Cousin" series, including Our Little Crusader Cousin.

Product Details

• Paperback: 100 pages
• Publisher: Yesterday's Classics (November 11, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1599150425
• ISBN-13: 978-1599150420
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,137,181 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars wonderful story about illuminated manuscripts, March 23, 2009

By 

T. Walker - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gabriel and the Hour Book (Yesterday's Classics) (Paperback)

Every parent or teacher who loves introducing her children to quality, moral stories, will love this telling of a sweet young peasant boy who grinds colors for illuminated texts. Young Gabriel works with Brother Stephen, who is creating an hour book for the king's fiance. During this time period, all books had to be hand-written, and most were done by monks who embellished the pages with beautiful artistry. Interwoven through the story of the making of the hour book is a tale of trial that comes upon Gabriel's family. In a very unconventional way for this time, Gabriel writes out a prayer asking for help for his family's financial struggles. His gentle, faithful character is revealed as he waits out an answer to his troubles. I found it hard to put this little book down (and finished it in about 1 1/2 hours). This book should be read to young ones right up there with The Railway Children, The Secret Garden, and Little House on the Prairie. This was just such a delightful, sweet book, exposing the virtue of faith, trust, and courage.