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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,
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. |
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Lionel and the Book of Beasts by E. Nesbit (Library Binding - November 1, 2006)
Used & New from: $3.99
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