Entry 2017-08-18: Book Review

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 13^th 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.