The traditional tale of the patron saint of England, retold by the author. The dragon lays waste to the kingdom and finally the princess herself has to be rescued by a knight, who fights and tames the dragon, passing into legend as St George.
Grade 1-4-- Less literary than Spenser's adventure as retold by Hodges in Saint George and the Dragon (Little, 1984), McCaughrean tells the kind of crusader tale popularly told about the wandering champion who became the patron saint of England. Here, George of Lydda comes across Sabra, the king's daughter, staked out for a dragon that threatens their town. A new British illustrator pictures the setting with a golden atmosphere and a romantic surrealism that includes stone ruins and windowed manors, and ends with visual reference to modern wars as well. Townspeople wear frantic or grotesque expressions--and the dragon is seen as a huge lizard with pterodactyllike clawed wings as forelimbs, taloned hind legs, and a lobed and spiked dorsal mane. Once he subdues the dragon, this Red Cross knight does not settle down, but goes on to other dragons and other times--which the reteller ties in with her afterword. Hard to locate in print, this adventure makes a good addition to folk and dragon lore. --Ruth M. McConnell, San Antonio Pub . Lib . Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
About the Author
Geraldine McCaughrean is a prize-winning author - winner of Carnegie Medal, Guardian Children's Fiction Award, Whitbread Award (twice) and the Blue Peter Book of the Year Award.
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
Product Details
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Doubleday Books for Young Readers (September 1, 1989)
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.
Beautiful and powerful illustrations, but grotesque faces depict the pain and savageness of the villagers. Story not adequate for religious education.
My son started pretending he was Saint George killing a dragon, so I began a search for a book that taught the full story. I purchased two books, this one and another book under the same title by Margaret Hodges. Hers embellished the story (see respective review), and this book diluted it. I am surprised that no Catholic or Orthodox companies sell any children's books about Saint George. Reference the following website for the full story of the life of the Holy Great Martyr George:
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Sure, this book by McCaughrean showed that Saint George saved the princess who was about to be sacrificed to the dragon, but to what end? Please consider, there is a reason the early Church viewed this man as a saint and called him "Saint". This book, however, didn't make any mention of the how Saint George turned the thousands of hearts of the city from idolatry toward their true Saviour. This book merely mentions a "white banner crossed with blood", but it was the sign of The Cross that gave Saint George courage to kill the dragon. The only mention of any Christian word, and superficial at that, is in the Afterword on the last page of the book written in smaller letters for adults. I hope someday an author will write a new book about Saint George and find the courage, like Saint George had, to mention the name of Jesus Christ.
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