Lionel and the Book of Beasts [Library Binding]

E. Nesbit (Author), Michael Hague (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up

Master Lionel, dear, they've come to fetch you to go and be King.

And with that, even though Lionel is just a small boy, he is crowned King.

Now, Lionel's great-great-great-great-great-grandfather was not only King but a wizard as well, a wizard who loved books. When Lionel explores the palace library, he opens a huge volume entitled The Book of Beasts, only to let loose a spectacular red Dragon in all its fury. The red Dragon terrorizes the people in Lionel's kingdom. Determined to be brave, Lionel returns to The Book of Beasts and "with a fluttering of wings and a stamping of hoofs" sets free the amazing Hippogriff. Together the mighty Hippogriff and King Lionel close the book on the red Dragon.

Detailed illustrations accented with vivid shades of red and gold re-create this imaginary kingdom, along with the beasts, both good and evil, who dwell within.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 2–4—Inga Moore's retelling (Candlewick, 2001) substituted simple American English in a heavily abridged version of Nesbit's The Book of Beasts that effectively maintained some of its sweet humor. Now Hague uses his signature, elaborately detailed art to present a more somber abridged version (only minor textual changes from Moore's book) that may appeal to older children who like to be slightly scared. A large, fierce-looking red dragon dominates a couple of spreads. The luxurious details in the paintings depicting various town and landscape scenes include an elegant carriage drawn by eight white horses, a fountain holding up a gold-colored elephant, and a swan floating in a pond in a garden filled with statuary and urns. Interior details reveal a library with books overflowing onto the floor and chairs, elegant furniture, wooden toys, a lush bear pelt, and a clever portrayal of the little prince being mesmerized by the magic in the Book of Beasts. For libraries that do not have Moore's lighthearted romp, this version will please most children.—Kirsten Cutler, Sonoma County Library, CA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

In this significantly shortened version of Nesbit's story, also known as theBook of Beasts, Hague, who retells the tale, retains the original's incidents while trimming off most of the verbal shrubbery that lent it a comically acerbic tone. Suddenly finding himself made king, little Lionel unwisely opens one of his royal books and releases a dragon (rendered in Hague's distinctively golden-hazed illustrations as a sinuous red monster with moth-eaten wings) that proceeds to discomfit the kingdom by eating Parliament and other tidbits. Fortunately, the same tome then yields a Pegasus-like Hippogriff that helps Lionel coax the red menace back onto its assigned page. Purists won't have all that much trouble finding an edition of the original story, but for less-sophisticated readers, Lionel does cut a slightly more heroic figure than in Inga Moore's abridgment, The Book of Beasts (2001). John Peters
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Library Binding: 48 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (October 24, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060842725
• ISBN-13: 978-0060842727
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,449,149 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Good Adaptation of Nesbit's Original for a Picture-Book Audience, January 31, 2011

By 

Shanna A. Gonzalez "eyelevelbooks.com" (Gaithersburg, MD) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lionel and the Book of Beasts (Hardcover)

The Book of Beasts is one of Edith Nesbit's most exciting dragon stories, and Michael Hague has beautifully adapted it for a picture-book audience. In the story, a newly-inaugurated child-king named Lionel discovers a magical book in his library that, when opened, releases mythical beasts, including a dragon which causes his kingdom no end of trouble. Through cleverness and courage, and the help of a hippogriff, he must find a way to defeat the dragon and rescue his kingdom. The story manages to combine excitement, drama, and danger with an innocent childishness, striking a fine balance between adventure and security. Although it has a tongue-in-cheek quality, it is notable for placing a young child in a place of great responsibility, allowing him to exceed adult expectations by fulfilling the role of heroic monarch despite his age.

In Hague's simplified version, some of Nesbit's dry humor still comes through, and although the literary brilliance of her original writing is lessened, the storytelling quality remains quite good. For purists who wish to use the original text, a recording is available for free at librivox dot org (Chapter 1 of The Book of Beasts), and in text form at online-literature dot com.