Available:*
Library | Call Number | Status |
---|---|---|
Searching... Woodburn Public Library | 398.2 Irving | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... McMinnville Public Library | 398.2 Moses | Searching... Unknown |
Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
Washington Irving's classic tale of romantic schoolmaster Ichabod Crane and his terrifying encounter with the Headless Horseman is given new life in this edition, featuring the richly detailed, one-of-a-kind folk illustrations of Will Moses.
Author Notes
Washington Irving, one of the first Americans to achieve international recognition as an author, was born in New York City in 1783. His A History of New York, published in 1809 under the name of Diedrich Knickerbocker, was a satirical history of New York that spanned the years from 1609 to 1664. Under another pseudonym, Geoffrey Crayon, he wrote The Sketch-book, which included essays about English folk customs, essays about the American Indian, and the two American stories for which he is most renowned--"The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle."
Irving served as a member of the U.S. legation in Spain from 1826 to 1829 and as minister to Spain from 1842 to 1846. Following his return to the U.S. in 1846, he began work on a five-volume biography of Washington that was published from 1855-1859.
Washington Irving died in 1859 in New York.
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 3-6Unlike the more concise adaptations by Robert Van Nutt (Rabbit Ears, 1991) and Robert San Souci (Doubleday, 1986), this version of the classic tale, retold by Grandma Moses's great-grandson, remains true to the original in its lengthy and flowery narration. An unnamed storyteller enthusiastically relays the legend of the Headless Horseman and his effect on the schoolmaster, Ichabod Crane, in ``...a mysterious, dreamy little settlement called Sleepy Hollow.'' While there are occasional awkward passages, the text is lively and compelling, with a 19th-century flavor. The primitive paintings enhance the Hudson Valley setting; unfortunately, their quality is uneven. Moses is most successful with the double-page landscapes and village scenes (similar to his great-grandmother's style), which will intrigue readers with their detailed activity. A few of the smaller vignettes capture humorous situations and the personalities of individual characters, but many, especially the night scenes, are indistinct and muddy. Moses includes black characters in the illustrations, though he has removed Irving's stereotyped descriptive passages. The lively text begs to be read aloud, but the detailed paintings lend themselves to one-on-one viewing. Try San Souci's or Van Nutt's version if you are sharing the illustrations with a group.Kristin Lott, East Brunswick Public Library, NJ (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Paintings by Grandma Moses's great-grandson make a striking match for Irving's classic story of strange goings-on in a small town in the Hudson Valley. Though greatly condensed, the plot remains intact; Ichabod Crane, the gangly schoolteacher, is driven out of Sleepy Hollow by a pumpkin-headed horseman who may (or may not) have been his flesh-and-blood rival to the affections of Katrina, a well-off young beauty. The paintings-naïve, bright and straightforward in the tradition associated with Moses's illustrious forebear-suit the story stylistically although they do not fully enter into its spirit; they do not vary to plumb the moods of the story, which range from low country comedy to romance to suspense and terror. But the illustrations are well placed, either as two-page set pieces of the churchyard or Katrina's family farm (these are strikingly similar in composition to the work of Grandma Moses), or as small vignettes amidst the text. Overall, an attractive illustrated storybook, which may excite interest in the original. Ages 6-up. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
The Hudson River tale of the hapless schoolmaster Ichabod Crane, his wooing of the charming Katrina Van Tassel, and his encounter with the Headless Horseman ensured a lasting place in American literature for the nineteenth-century writer Washington Irving. With great understanding and respect for his source, Will Moses, great-grandson of Grandma Moses, has illuminated the original with a fluent retelling and handsome illustrations in an eminently suitable folk-art style. By eliminating extraneous descriptions and commentary, Moses has focused on the essential characteristics of the protagonists' personalities without losing the flavor of a story handed down from generation to generation. The text is appealing in its own right, but the dynamic full-color illustrations make the book spectacular. Moses conveys humor, beauty, charm, and mystery in a broad-ranging palette that captures sunlit pastures as precisely as darkening shadows. And who would not be delighted with the double-page spread featuring Ichabod demonstrating his terpsichorean talents in the Van Tassel's parlor? Simply splendid! m.m.b. From HORN BOOK, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
A wonderful retelling of the classic tale, handled with confidence and aplomb in Moses's first book. Here again is the lovelorn, greedy Ichabod; the dismissive Katrina; the loutish Brom Bones; and the headless horseman in all his pumpkin-wielding glory. Moses is true to the original while rendering the story appropriate for a younger audience: Everything from the gawky advances of Ichabod to the flirtatious Katrina, from Bones's pranksterish retaliations to the final electric encounter with the night rider is deftly, elementally, served forth. The sumptuous illustrations are perfectly wedded to the words, be they grand two-page spreads or the small painterly evocations lavishly decorating the text. Look closely: Lurking within the folksy artwork, with its overall primitive look, is an extraordinarily sophisticated technique enriched by an inspired use of color. A top-drawer adaptation, lovely and true. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Gr. 3^-5. Many folk-art paintings illustrate this simplified retelling of Washington Irving's Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Varied in size from small vignettes to double-page spreads, the colorful paintings are reminiscent of the works of Moses' great-grandmother, better known as Grandma Moses. A large-format picture book that will fill a need in some libraries. --Carolyn Phelan