What a Viking! [Hardcover]

Mick Manning (Author), Brita Granstrom (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2000 | Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

Bjrn, a red-blooded Viking from Sweden, tells the story of how he acquired his many fearsome-looking scars and had a fine time doing it. As a young boy in Birka, Bjrn grows tired of his staid life of pickling herring and chopping wood. He decides to leave in search of adventure on the high seas. His voyages span the world, from the coasts of Ireland to exotic Byzantium, and along the way Bjrn teaches young readers about Viking history, art, religion, and sport. He also confesses to the real story behind his scars, which aren't at all what they seem!

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Mick Manning and Brita Granstrm have created some forty picture books together which have been translated into twelve languages. In 1996 they received the Smarties Book Prize for The World Full of Babies. They divide their time between England and Sweden.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: R & S Books (September 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9129648831
• ISBN-13: 978-9129648836
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,563,750 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Mick Manning has been writing and illustrating children's books for twenty years, often sharing the illustration with his partner, the illustrator Brita Granström. Their book awards include The Smarties Silver Award and The English Association Award (which they have won four times: 2000, 2005, 2008 and again recently in 2011 with Taff in the WAAF, the follow-up to their much loved Tail-End Charlie.) Mick and Brita are also the creators of 'Max and Kate', the long running pre-school picture story, for Ladybug Magazine in the USA.

Their most recent books are Nature Adventures and Charles Dickens. Scenes From An Extraordinary Life. Reviewed by Simon Callow in the New York Times in December 2011: ". . . anyone of any age who is interested in Dickens would gain something from this book: its verve and wit are infectious . . . The subtitle sums it up very well: a wonderful, enduring introduction for young readers."

Visit their website at mickandbrita.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Vikings rule!, September 18, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: What a Viking! (Hardcover)

Fascinating and -- for a picture book -- surprisingly detailed look at Viking life. Hand-lettered sidebars complement the typeset text. Realistic drawings of Viking artifacts are interspersed among whimsical cartoons of the narrator and his family. Includes some gross details that kids will love (such as the latrines) as well as history, art, religion, and sports.

5.0 out of 5 stars Nice surprise -- but parents take note -- potty humor in illustrations, November 14, 2010

By 

M. Heiss (USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: What a Viking! (Hardcover)

You don't usually get a storybook/picturebook that works as both entertainment and information. This one does.

The illustrations show plenty of Viking technology, and artifacts, and Viking armaments and ornaments, as well as Viking gross-out:

Vikings peeing off the side of a boat at sea.

Vikings vomiting at a banquet.

Vikings on the toilet.

Vikings with their heads split open.

Vikings getting shot by an arrow in the tush.

I guarantee your kids will love this story, and they will have fun learning from it.