Book Title: The Adventures of Robin Hood (Treasury of
Illustrated Classics)
Author: Howard Pyle
Illustrator: Eva Clift
Publication Information: New York : Modern Publishing
Physical Description: 188 pages ; 12 cm
ISBN: 0-7666-0764-X
Book Review Proper
“Rise
and rise again until lambs become lions.” – Robin Hood
First published in 1883, Howard
Pyle’s The Adventures of Robin Hood
(Treasury of Illustrated Classics) is the most classic Robin Hood book for
children. Pyle took his inspiration from the legends of 13th century
famous outlaw, Robin Hood. The genre of this graphic novel is fiction,
specifically children's literature and historical fiction. This review was made to examine and give out the writer’s personal
evaluation of the novel.
Since the beginning of time, there
have been those who chose to live a life of crime: the outlaws. The story plot of this novel took place in medieval
England where an 18-year-old Robin unintentionally killed one of the king’s
deer and starts living as an outlaw in the Sherwood Forest. He gathers around
himself young outlaws, who are also noble and righteous against the injustice
of rich people. The story starts when Robin Hood decided to partake in a king’s
archery challenge. At his way, he met a squad of men, who were making fun of him
but Robin manages to escape the drunken archers and even kill one of them.
Pyle's storytelling and
illustrations are the book’s main strengths. One reason I love this book is because
I enjoyed looking at the wonderful illustrations. It has made an impact to me
since it added details to the plot and it becomes more child-friendly aside
from the fact that the book uses simpler words and is large print. Also, Pyle’s
writing style and perky tone suit the book's intended audience, which are
children and young adult readers. The author speaks to the readers while
describing numerous adventures, usually with a lot of humor involved, making it
more interesting.
Introducing modern readers to legendary
classics will be simpler with each of the twelve chapters in The Adventures of
Robin Hood (Treasury of Illustrated Classics). Each chapter is intentionally
concise for trouble-free comprehension and long-lasting satisfaction adorned
with beautifully illustrated covers, hardcover editions are a decorative
addition to any reader's library. The beautiful illustrations in this work
round out the narrative that made a memorable and most enjoyable reading
experience.
However, the story is pretty
straightforward with how the things are sequenced. There seem to be no plot
twist or not surprising or very significant at all. It’s just a plain story
that basically gives everything to the readers without making them thrilled
with the plot. Yet considering that the author’s target audiences are the
children, the story’s plot and flow of events become reasonable and
justifiable.
I recommend this book to those children
interested in reading storybooks and fictional stories. You should read this
book because it's fully packed with adventure on every page that will keep you
reading until the end. Moreover, I still assess this book as dragging, cliché and
too predictable since it lacks an exciting plot twist and climax that could’ve
add huge impact to its plot. Still, this book will teach you moral lessons
essential in your life as you get older.
