William Tell

by Margaret Early

The gripping tale of how William Tell shot an apple from his son’s head has long been a favourite throughout the world. This new version captures all its drama and excitement, both in the text and in the magnificent illustrations, which perfectly mirror the story’s Medieval period, setting, and artistic traditions.
Following the success of her Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, Australian-born artist Margaret Early has created exquisitely detailed pictures and decorative borders for this new book. The mountains, meadows, lakes, and forests of Switzerland are finely rendered in full color and enhanced with gold. William Tell, his son Walter, the peasants fighting the tyrannical Austrian Emperor, and the hated Austrian governor, Gessler, are all vividly portrayed.
The stirring message of William Tell, the struggle for freedom in the face of oppression, is freshly evoked in this outstanding new edition of a beloved classic.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Historical Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published September 20, 1991

About the author

Margert Early (1951- ) is an Australian artist and book illustrator. Born in the New England region of New South Wales, she was educated at the New England Girl’s School; Sydney University (BA); the Shillito Design School (diploma); and at St Martin’s School of Art in London (post-graduate diploma). She was married to the Irish artist Michael Farrell, and has lived for many years in France, in the village of her Huguenot ancestors. She has published six children's books, originally through the Walter McVitty publishing house in Australia, and through Harry N. Abrams in the USA. Since 1976, her paintings, done in a medieval style, have been included in numerous group exhibitions, and she has also had many individual exhibitions, most recently at the Robin Gibson Gallery in Sydney.

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Australian expatriate painter and illustrator Margaret Early, whose small number of picture-books include a retelling of such tales as Robin Hood and the Sleeping Beauty , here turns to the historical legend of William Tell, the hero of Swiss independence. Relating the tale of how the three Swiss countries of Schwytz, Uri and Unterwalden were crushed under the tyrannical heel of the occupying Austrians, the story describes the behavior of Governor Gessler of Altdorf, whose brutality led to the famous incident in which William Tell was forced to shoot an apple off of his own son's head. The narrative also includes the incident in which Tell jumps from the boat carrying Gessler and his soldiers, as well as the killing of Gessler by Tell. The book concludes with the information that William Tell has remained a hero in his native Switzerland to this day...

A symbol of resistance against tyrannical rule, William (Wilhelm) Tell is a legendary figure often associated with the Rütlischwur (the Rütli Oath), an incident said to have occurred in 1307 AD, in which representatives of the three Swiss cantons of Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden met and swore an oath of mutual protection and rebellion against outside rule. Although uncorroborated in contemporaneous sources (the first written record dates from 1470), this is widely held to be the foundation of the Old Swiss Confederacy, the forerunner of the modern nation of Switzerland. This incident (which is also included in Friedrich Schiller's classic 1804 play, Wilhelm Tell ) is incorporated into Early's narrative, which is quite dense for a picture-book, but which makes for an engaging read all the same. The book is divided between pages of text, on the left-hand side of each two-page spread, and full-page illustrations, done in a medieval style, on the right-hand side. Both the textual and illustrative panels are enclosed in gorgeous decorative borders. Although I am no expert in William Tell studies, this seems to be a fairly faithful retelling of the legend, one which is well-written and paired with lovely tapestry-like illustrations. It is (as mentioned) a bit text-heavy for a picture-book, so I'd recommend it to young readers six (or perhaps five) and up, particularly those who are interested in history, or who enjoy legends of rebels and heroes. For my part, I am very curious to see other tellings of this legend, in order to compare them.

[Amanda Connelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good for history purposes. A little boring good for high level reading in elementary school.

[Lev Abrasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

it was amazing, i liked when he said "you'll be taken prisoner."
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[Sally · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of William Tell for young children. Interesting, quick read :)