Module 3: (September 6-12)Hodges, M. (1984). St. George and the Dragon. New York, NY: Little, Brown, and Company.
Summary: This is an adaptation of Edmund Spenser’s epic poem The Faerie Queene. In the story, the Red Cross Knight has agreed to take on a quest given him by Princess Una to slay the dragon that has been plaguing and destroying her kingdom. Through a combination of luck, skill, and magic, the Red Cross Knight defeats the dragon, saves the kingdom, and gets the girl.
My Impressions: I LOVE this book! The illustrations by Trina Schart Hyman are breathtaking in their detail and emotion. I hadn’t realized it before reading this book, but we have numerous books illustrated by Hyman at our library, and I have always loved looking at them without realizing they were done by the same person. I also love this story which is part poetry, part myth/legend, and part fairy tale. I told probably half of my co-workers about this book, and I am definitely asking for several of Hyman’s books for Christmas!
Reviews: “A balance of carefully adapted narrative and powerfully composed, detailed art unfolds the story of St. George's battle with the dragon, as conceived by Spenser in The Faerie Queen. A Caldecott Medal winner, 1985.”—Booklist.*
“Hyman's meticulously researched illustrations bring Hodges' retelling of Edmund Spenser's sixteenth-century poem to full realization. The glowing paintings and borders recall the religious art of Spenser's time while details in the pictures evoke the earliest origins of the St. George legend.”—Booklist.*
*(Both reviews from this site). http://libproxy.library.unt.edu:2548/merge_shared/details/RecordDetails.asp?item_uid=73181727&viewItemIndex=0&navPage=1&FullText=&BipAlertQueryString=&BipAlertDisplayQText=
Library Use: This book’s illustrations make it a good possible choice for a story time. If working in a school library, I might recommend this to a teacher doing a unit on poetry (especially if they were going to read anything by Edmund Spenser).
Image retrieved from: http://www.amazon.com/Saint-George-Dragon-GEORGE-DRAGON/dp/B002HM04OG/ref=sr_1_11?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1290836393&sr=1-11
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