Saint George and the Dragon (from Edmund Spenser's Faerie Queene)

I really enjoyed this book. The story was told nicely and the pictures are absolutely stunning. The only drawback to this book is that I can't allow it in the classroom. The pictures are a bit too bloody for a public school classroom; it's a shame, really, because the story should be told. Though,

Show More

there are other places for this book -- home sweet home. :)

Show Less

Genre: This book is a great example of a Legend becuase it is a retelling of the classic legend by Edmond Spenser, Faerie Queen, whichis about a knight, George, that is sent by the Queen of Fairies to fight in a three day battle against a dragon. The story takes place in the historical setting of

Show More

England and the British Isles. There are also elements of magic and the supernatural, which the reader sees in the fight with the dragon and the mention of the High City.
Age Appropriateness: Primary to Intermediate

Show Less

I love the story throughout history of George and his dragon. It's a very captivating thought for me – conquering modern dragons, that is – and this book always brings that idea back to me.

Unfortunately with this book, I am absolutely in love with the illustrations – but the text has never

Show More

been able to hold me well. I just seem to resist it, perhaps because of its length or verbosity.

Show Less

QUALITY:
This beautifully and intricately illustrated picture book retells Spenser’s story of the Red Cross Knight in language that children ages nine and older will understand.

POTENTIAL USE:
Saint George and the Dragon would make an excellent read-alone book, an it would work well for curriculum

Show More

support to introduce children to classic English literature.

CHILD APPEAL:
Though the denser text of Saint George and the Dragon will likely put off younger readers, the intricate and intriguing illustrations that accompany this story will engage children ages nine and up.

Show Less

This book is an excellent example of historical fiction, with the knight fighting for the people against the big, scary dragon. It's clearly historical fiction because the author takes a regular fiction story with the townspeople and royalty and places it back in time. The main character is the

Show More

knight, Saint George, and he is a static, flat character. We know this by the author, narrator, and his interactions with others. Media:Watercolor and pen and ink

Show Less

This is about Saint George and his battle and win over a fierce dragon. It is also about love for Princess Una. The Red Cross Knight (St. George) is very brave. His 1st and 2nd battle with the dragons were almost fatal for him but he kept coming back. Then the 3rd battle he defeated the dragon. And

Show More

even though he loved Una and they got married, he stayed true to his oath of service to the Fairy Queen. The illustrations are just gorgeous. And very intricate. It calls to mind old England. One page is a full page of picture blocked off almost like a stained glass picture. The other side of the page has the words again encased by beautiful drawings. This has a lot of words and is a harder read than lots of other picture books but it is worth it to read.

Show Less

Although the Red Knight had never fought a battle before, he has a shield that has been passed down for generations with dents from previous battles. I like this use of history influencing the future. The female character, Una, is smart, kind, and beautiful, and it's great that the Red Knight must

Show More

follow her. Although this ends with the Red Knight and Una marrying to live happily ever after, the Red Knight still makes trips to fight battles, which is nice rather than just leaving him domesticated. Within the illustrations there are little pictures of boats and other metaphores that add an element to the story.

Show Less

Suggested Age: Grade 4+. Genre: Traditional Literature.
George, on a quest from the Queen of the Fairies, sets to slay a dragon and thereby free a kingdom from its tyranny. In his quest, he is nearly slain twice, but revived by perhaps divine powers of the land where he falls. Eventually, he

Show More

succeeds in his quest, but cannot rest, because he still owes some years of service to the Fairy Queen. This book could be useful for discussing language of traditional literature, and how language changes over time. It could also be used to discuss symbolism for a more sophisticated or older class.

Show Less

Retells the story of George killing the dragon and bringing peace to the land. Part of the Faerie Queen story

Retells the story of George killing the dragon and bringing peace to the land. Part of the Faerie Queen story

This is a cute story about a Knight of the ages of dragons and fairies. He is sent on a quest by the Queen of the Fairies to rescue the princess' land from a dragon. The dragon deals some heavy blows to the knight, but the knight fights back bravely. He is wounded twice and is thought to be dead,

Show More

but happens to receive healing from a special spring and apple tree. The knight is finally able to slay the dragon and lives happily ever after with the princess.

This would be a good story to discuss fairy tales and how they are different from real life. I would also suggest the older age children write a different ending to the tale.

Show Less

Critique: This is a good example of a legend because it tells the tale of the Red Cross Knight and how he became known as Saint George of Merry England. It also has some elements of a myth because it include a dragon which the Knight slays and also the presence of the Fairy Queen.

Setting: This is a

Show More

good example of integral setting because with the elements of England, castles and knights on horse back you would not have the Legend but a completely different story. When you think about the events that take place you cannot remove the setting from the picture.

Level: Intermediate

Show Less

A princess from a small kingdom who is terrorized by a dragon goes out and finds George to come and conquer the dragon and save the kingdom. She brings him back and takes him to the dragon and he goes to battle with it, almost dying several times but every morning he would get up and start the

Show More

fight again. Slowly and surely he made steps towards defeating the dragon and eventually did. The kingdom celebrated and the king offered him riches as reward, which he toward the king to give to the poor people. The king offered him his daughter for marriage and he accepted.

Show Less

I just read this to pass the time while working. I'd always wanted to know this story anyway, as I'd seen it referenced many times. Well, it wasn't too impressive.

I love Trina Schart Hyman's art. Her gorgeous, detailed work here did not disappoint.

This was a wonderfully illustrated retelling of Saint George. It was more wordy than I expected for a picture book but it was lovely.

This Caldecott winner is a childrens book based on Edmund Spenser's "The Faerie Queene". It could be used in a preschool classroom all the way through 6th grade. Depending on the lesson and grade level, the teacher could adapt the story many different ways from simple to very complex. This is a

Show More

very universal book, much like the famous story it is adapted from. The story is a simplified version of a small part of the famous piece by Spencer. It takes the reader on an adventure that follows a knight who is determined to slay a dragon that has been tormenting his entire town for a long time. The story is layered and the vocabulary at times is complex, yet great for introducing new words to early readers. The pictures explain why the book is a Caldecott winner. They enhance the story as a whole and allow the children to understand the story even if the don't necessarily understand all of the words. This book would be great in a classroom for:
-a read aloud done by the teacher (since the words are difficult for early readers)
-an early introduction to American Literature and all its glory
-an opportunity to explore the illustrations and see new things each time
-expand the vocabulary of children by introducing them to new words and words we don't hear too much anymore
-an introduction to folk-lore and tales
-to use individual pictures in activities

Show Less

very nice. people and magic help out. The hero gets the girl in the end and rides off into the sunset.

Beautifully illustrated (Caldecott award), retelling of the classic tale. Ages 6 and up.

Margaret Hodges retelling of this fairy tale is descriptive and smooth. The somewhat violent tale is illustrated beautifully by Trina Schart Hyman, who adheres closely to the text. Hodges takes few liberties with the narrative. Hyman uses the pain space of the page as well as the border to

Show More

illustrate multiple actions and events in the story.

Show Less

Beautifully drawn, almost like a Grimm's fairy tale. The borders even have intricate pictures of vines, flowers and fairies. This is a mesmerizing read-aloud in the same vein as a classic "Once upon a time" story.

i think the illustrations were beautiful, the border details told a lot more about the story. i got bored mid way through the book, I think there were too many words, too many details and the story dragged for too long at some point I got confused. But having said that I liked the lesson behind the

Show More

story, persevereance and loyalty the knight fought the dragon day after day until the dragon died and even after then when he was offered to marry the princess and live happily ever after, but when the fairy called him for service, he answered.

Show Less

Saint George and the Dragon is a retelling of the old European folk tale about a brave knight who ventures off to slay a dragon that is terrorizing Princess Una’s kingdom. Accompanied by Princess Una and a nameless dwarf, they embark on their successful journey to slay the terrifying dragon. In

Show More

the end, in true folk tale fashion, the king rewards the brave knight with Princess Una’s hand in marriage. The illustrator, Trina Schart Hyman, does an excellent job in creating complementary illustrations that adds to the old English feel of the story.

Show Less

Saint George and the Dragon is a book I remember my brother getting for Christmas one year because his name is George. This version is a remake but it is probably the best remake yet. Simple illustrations with a far more amount of text makes way for an adventure book that has been retold for

Show More

centuries.

Show Less

The illustrations are very detailed and pretty, but the story is probably a little long winded for younger children.