The Highwayman (Visions in Poetry) [Hardcover]

Alfred Noyes (Author), Murray Kimber (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up | Series: Visions in Poetry

The Highwayman is the second book in a unique series -- Visions in Poetry -- featuring classic poems illustrated by outstanding contemporary artists. Originally published in 1907, "The Highwayman" is a haunting ballad of doomed love. Seldom have mood and character been so memorably evoked. The pounding rhythm of the rhyme, the dramatic pacing and the power of the imagery have made it one of the most popular read-alouds of all time. Murray Kimber's stunning noir interpretation is a darkly brilliant achievement that stays true to the poem's tragic spirit.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6 Up–Kimber's robber villain rides a mean motorcycle through the streets of New York City in this Art Deco rendering of Noyes's familiar poem of romantic tragedy. The vigorous, somewhat angular charcoal drawings in this modest, narrow volume richly convey the city night. Often they contradict the descriptive passages of text. For The moon was a ghostly galleon/tossed upon cloudy seas./The road was a ribbon of moonlight/over the purple moor, the artist infuses his dark illustrations of city streets with shades of tan and mauve, but the red tones so prevalent in the poem appear infrequently. The skyscrapers and automobiles are far removed from Noyes's rustic setting with the old inn-door and the gypsy's ribbon road. King George's men are now machine-gun-toting tough guys, whose strong-arm tactics in tying up Bess have a kind of familiarity in evoking scenes from gangster comics and movies. Some readers will find the mismatched imagery confusing, and others are likely to be amused at the modernized interpretation. The strong rhythms and imagery and the dark tone and violence of this poetic story should continue to have wide adolescent appeal.–Margaret Bush, Simmons College, Boston
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From Booklist

Gr. 7-10. The debut volume in the elegantly packaged Visions in Poetry series, a dark treatment of Lewis Carroll's "The Jabberwocky," illustrated by Stephane Jorisch, earned the 2004 Canadian Governor General's Award for Illustration. This second volume likewise offers an unusual interpretation of a curriculum chestnut. Painting in an art deco style and film noir palette, Kimber casts a motorcycle-riding rebel as the highwayman; a curvaceous glamour girl as Bess; and tommy-gun toting cops as the soldiers who intrude upon the lovers' tryst. Although it may be hard for some readers to reconcile the sleek, urban imagery with the "tlot-tlot" of horses' hooves, the dramatic artwork plays up the elements teens will find most rewarding--particularly the protagonists' defiance of authority and the unblushingly melodramatic conclusion. Noyes' words and many of Kimber's illustrations candidly portray violence (a rope-bound Bess struggles to free herself, hands "wet with sweat or blood"), so reserve this for middle- and high-school readers, who may enjoy comparing the recasting with the Kate Greenaway Medal-winning version by Charles Keeping (1983). Jennifer Mattson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: Kids Can Press (April 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1553374258
• ISBN-13: 978-1553374251
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 6.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,585,003 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointed, October 12, 2008

By 

Denise Carltron "oldalgebra" (Southern California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Highwayman (Visions in Poetry) (Hardcover)

I imagined that the illustrations would somehow cleverly transport the poem into the present. Alas, no such luck. Seems as though the illustrator just drew a lot of motorcycle pictures with little thought as to how to connect them with the story line.
Maybe the time and setting ought not be fooled with in the first place.