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Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
Book by Mattern, Joanne, Stevenson, Robert Louis
123 pages, Library Binding
First published January 1, 1996
3 people are currently reading
182 people want to read
About the author
Joanne Mattern
960 books26 followersMattern is the author of many books for children. Her favorite topics include animals, biography, and history. She lives in the Hudson Valley of New York State.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
June 18, 2020
When I was in fourth grade, I was all about educational media. Every weekday, upon coming home from school, I would watch Bill Nye and Wishbone. On Saturday mornings, the only show I watched was the short-lived Wheel 2000, a kiddie version of Wheel of Fortune which also contained informative content. Most of my computer games fell into the category of edutainment as well, such as various titles from The Learning Company, Brøderbund, or Humongous Entertainment. Back then, I criticized my friends for watching mindless shows like Power Rangers or owning Nintendo or Sega consoles; they didn't teach you anything. Of course, as that school year came to an end, I became a die-hard Scooby-Doo fan; though "those meddling kids" are beloved pop culture icons to this day, their show wasn't exactly edutainment. Still, I'll always have a special place in my heart for those old favorites, educational or otherwise.
So, when I happened upon this Wishbone book at a Little Free Library that my mom and I happened to discover while out and about, you bet I picked it up. It's just what you'd expect from the series; a kid-friendly version of a beloved classic novel. Not having read the original--I know; what kind of reader am I?--I can't comment on its faithfulness, but it still made for good reading. Even though I knew the conclusion before opening the book--seriously, who doesn't know the connection between Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde?--it was still a great story. Now, I need to check out some more Wishbone books; thankfully, a box full of them is en route to my house as I write this.
So, when I happened upon this Wishbone book at a Little Free Library that my mom and I happened to discover while out and about, you bet I picked it up. It's just what you'd expect from the series; a kid-friendly version of a beloved classic novel. Not having read the original--I know; what kind of reader am I?--I can't comment on its faithfulness, but it still made for good reading. Even though I knew the conclusion before opening the book--seriously, who doesn't know the connection between Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde?--it was still a great story. Now, I need to check out some more Wishbone books; thankfully, a box full of them is en route to my house as I write this.
September 12, 2025
I enjoyed this version slightly better than the adventure series offering.
February 10, 2017
Another quick little wishbone read. I really enjoyed this story, it was well edited for the audience. I also enjoyed the illustrations. All of Wishbones' little narratives were also quite well done, and showed where tings were edited out, by providing a short summery of what was left out and the definitions were also quite accessible for the age these are meant for. The short biography and introduction to the times are also geared to make a young child want to learn more about them.
Another must have for any child under about 12 or any elementary classroom/ library.
Another must have for any child under about 12 or any elementary classroom/ library.
August 17, 2021
Fun & Educational Take On Classic (4.5 Rounded Up for Nostalgia)
First things first: I love Wishbone. As a child, he was a very important part of my love for reading - and for terriers, as it were - and kept me interested in even the most dryly written classics by putting a fun, entertaining spin on them. I'll admit I never went on to read most of the books the Wishbone episodes and novels were about, but to me that doesn't make a difference. Just like this book did when I was much younger and purchased it at a book fair, all of Wishbone's instalments helped me to better understand the stories covered and sparked my interest in branching beyond the typical genres I liked. I still have my Wishbone plushies, treated with love and care on a special display shelf, but sadly this was the only book which survived. It's covered in highlighter marks because, at one point, I decided to practice note-taking, but suffering through the streaks of blue ink bleeding yellow at the edges was totally worth it for the dose of nostalgia.
When I found this book stashed in some of my old belongings, I knew I had to read it again! I never cared for the original Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, which I found quite dull when I attempted to read it many years ago, but this retelling is fun and intriguing enough that even though I knew how the story ended I had fun playing along with Wishbone's narrative breaks to amp up the suspense.
The book itself is made in such a way to be fun and engaging for children. It's "narrated" by Wishbone, who appears in expressive artistic representations and 'speaks' to the reader in bolded text.
The beginning has some educational material, covering the nature of the story and some history on the author. Throughout each chapter, new words and concepts are introduced and explained with notes by Wishbone; as such, children are trusted to actually learn while reading rather than stick to the familiarity of words they already know.
And, toward the end, there's a fun activity where flipping the pages reveals a flipbook style animation of Wishbone running through a tunnel, emerging in fancy clothes, then running back through. This does mean that most used copies will likely be quite well worn on the page edges, but that's part of what gives a book like this life and personality. It's meant to be read and used, not sat on a shelf to collect dust.
As for the story itself, it does drag a bit at times, but it's masterfully retold in a way which doesn't feel as dreadfully boring to me as the source material. Time skips are frequent and well-placed and there's a heavy focus on picking up clues left in the narrative to explain the relation between Jekyll & Hyde. I was able to finish this in two brief sittings, interrupted only by real life getting in the way; as a child, I remember taking a few days to read the whole thing and thinking it was quite thick (oh, how my standards of book thickness have changed).
Younger children may need a bit of guidance, since this is by nature a tale of violence and psychological damage, but nothing is overly graphic in my opinion.
I'm glad I took the time to re-read this book, and have thoroughly enjoyed having this trip down memory lane.
First things first: I love Wishbone. As a child, he was a very important part of my love for reading - and for terriers, as it were - and kept me interested in even the most dryly written classics by putting a fun, entertaining spin on them. I'll admit I never went on to read most of the books the Wishbone episodes and novels were about, but to me that doesn't make a difference. Just like this book did when I was much younger and purchased it at a book fair, all of Wishbone's instalments helped me to better understand the stories covered and sparked my interest in branching beyond the typical genres I liked. I still have my Wishbone plushies, treated with love and care on a special display shelf, but sadly this was the only book which survived. It's covered in highlighter marks because, at one point, I decided to practice note-taking, but suffering through the streaks of blue ink bleeding yellow at the edges was totally worth it for the dose of nostalgia.
When I found this book stashed in some of my old belongings, I knew I had to read it again! I never cared for the original Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, which I found quite dull when I attempted to read it many years ago, but this retelling is fun and intriguing enough that even though I knew how the story ended I had fun playing along with Wishbone's narrative breaks to amp up the suspense.
The book itself is made in such a way to be fun and engaging for children. It's "narrated" by Wishbone, who appears in expressive artistic representations and 'speaks' to the reader in bolded text.
The beginning has some educational material, covering the nature of the story and some history on the author. Throughout each chapter, new words and concepts are introduced and explained with notes by Wishbone; as such, children are trusted to actually learn while reading rather than stick to the familiarity of words they already know.
And, toward the end, there's a fun activity where flipping the pages reveals a flipbook style animation of Wishbone running through a tunnel, emerging in fancy clothes, then running back through. This does mean that most used copies will likely be quite well worn on the page edges, but that's part of what gives a book like this life and personality. It's meant to be read and used, not sat on a shelf to collect dust.
As for the story itself, it does drag a bit at times, but it's masterfully retold in a way which doesn't feel as dreadfully boring to me as the source material. Time skips are frequent and well-placed and there's a heavy focus on picking up clues left in the narrative to explain the relation between Jekyll & Hyde. I was able to finish this in two brief sittings, interrupted only by real life getting in the way; as a child, I remember taking a few days to read the whole thing and thinking it was quite thick (oh, how my standards of book thickness have changed).
Younger children may need a bit of guidance, since this is by nature a tale of violence and psychological damage, but nothing is overly graphic in my opinion.
I'm glad I took the time to re-read this book, and have thoroughly enjoyed having this trip down memory lane.
July 12, 2022
Who doesn't love Wishbone? My heart is full of so much nostalgia when it comes to the show that when I found this book at a thrift sale I just had to have it.
January 15, 2020
This is an easy to read version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
September 26, 2021
I've read this twice. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is such an interesting book, definitely one of my favorites. The ending is so sad, but still so mysterious and strange!
August 29, 2022
3,5 stars
August 16, 2023
A good read aloud with kids
June 20, 2010
A deep insight into the nature of humans, who, by their basic impulse towards doing something out of the law, and temptation to explore the banned boundaries, think of committing an evil for once, but under the weight of the evil propensity fall prey to it and succumb in the end, when they have no control over themselves.
A great work or art by Stevenson probing the basic functioning of humans along with the vivid description of the scenario.
A great work or art by Stevenson probing the basic functioning of humans along with the vivid description of the scenario.
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April 15, 2009This book is so freaking boring I give it -1,000 stars! I can't even get past the first page! I would never recommend this book to anyone! I have to read it for PreAp English I. ugh! I can't give a review because it sucks! so I'll just keep it as a, NEVER TRY TO READ THIS BOOK!! SparkNotes has a better view of the book, but don't subsitute it for the actual book...
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May 20, 2009The Strange case of jekyll and hyde is wonderfull book yet a short read it is keeps your eyes glued to the page yet at times you'll get confused. (means very often) but thats good because an always straight forward book isn't always good. i recomend this book
January 8, 2014
Another Wishbone book! This time we have Jekyll and Hyde. I enjoyed reading the Wishbone version and I could read this in one sitting. The opposite being true of the actual story of Jekyll and Hyde (took me forever to read it the first time). I'd sit down and read this version again and again.
December 2, 2008
I read this every year for the longest time, and then one year it just didn't seem interesting anymore, but it is a very good book. I'll probably read it again sometime.
Read
December 24, 2008The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (Wishbone Classics) by Joanne Mattern (1996)
Read
March 27, 2010I read this when I was a little kid.Its been so long since I read this that I dont really remember it but I do remember enjoying it as a kid.
July 29, 2010
Pretty much the actual story but with wishbone as the narrator. Nothing tremendously different or added to it.
August 12, 2012
I enjoyed it though it was a bit slow and boring during some parts. Everyone should read it once, I think.
November 13, 2014
This was my favorite Wishbone episode and thus favorite book -- I think I must have taken it in the car on every trip, I loved it so much!
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews