My four year old daughter enjoyed this one a lot! Lots of knights, princesses, battles, etc. I don't know if she really understood what was going on, but still a fun read. I will also say that this had some of my favorite artwork out of any of the Great Illustrated Classics.
Kids enjoyed this one! At various points, they needed help understanding what was happening as there were many characters and plots, but overall, a fun read!
I’ve wanted to read Ivanhoe ever since I read Knight’s Castle by Edward Eager back in elementary school, but I was never able to summon the will to begin the thick Signet Classics edition on my bookshelf. So, when I saw this Great Illustrated Classics version in a bookshop - an adapted version with illustrations on every other page - I finally saw my chance and grabbed it with both hands.
It’s a pleasure to finally know the full plot, and the 110+ illustrations definitely help - but being an adapted version the prose is makeshift at best, and the story has elements of high farce and comedy which seem somewhat incongruous with its chivalric and romantic themes, although it was perhaps that very aspect that was so well exploited by Edward Eager.
4 stars for a kids book... I've never read Ivanhoe but I feel like Amos could have handled the writing of the real deal but maybe not the subject matter intensity. Amos was really into this one. I'm currently reading a book about Richard the Lionheart and was telling Amos about it, because there was pirates, and kidnapping and lot of exciting stuff so in the first chapter of Ivanhoe, when they mention King Richard and also Robinhood! He was VERY excited. We enjoyed it, but the "kiddie-ness" or dumbed downness of the writing is not my favorite.
Ivanhoe is a long novel and this adaptation felt rushed and like it was trying to cram too much into too few pages. That being said it was a good overview of the story and does have me interested in reading the full novel.
Another note I have is that the illustrations were odd, they were drawn like over the top exaggerated fantasy knights but the story is a more realistic period piece and doesn't match the cover illustration which is more grounded.
A good story for young readers! Maybe for teenagers—it has a little too much death in during the tournament. But it didn’t go into too much detail obviously since it’s supposed to be a summarized version, but I appreciated that I still got the story in a shorter amount of time.😅
J'ai pensé que c'était intéressant mais il n'y avait pas beauvoup d'Ivanhoé et c'était vraiment simple. Le livre ne montre pas les évèments, mais il donne le lecteur un petit résumé de ce qu'il s'est passé au lieu de les écrire. Le combat finale a vraiment démontré ce problème.
The behavior of the villainous Prince John, his treacherous advisers, and his cruel supporters reminds me of present-day traitors. Fortunately, they’re no match for Ivanhoe, Robin Hood, Rebecca, the Black Knight, and the rest of the honest and honorable people.
Solid adaptation but with super abrupt chapter endings. Illustrations are 10/10. Owen didn’t react quite as much as he did to Narnia though, so only 4 stars.
it is really simplified for younger readers. As a sixth grade teacher I may read this to my students so that they can experience the classic in an understandable way
That's a very quick and interesting read, fast paced, clear and plain language, in all honesty I like it a lot but it feels like there are more to the story and I am not satisfied yet. Maybe that's why it's a classic because it's like tell it like how it goes and not to entertain?
This is a good adaptation of the more complicated "adult" classic. Reading this Illustrated Classic can be a wonderful introduction for a young person who is interested in castles, knights, and heroes. There is just enough of a love story to hook the girls, but not enough to turn off the boys.