Heroes And Heroines With Illustrations By Rosalind Thornycroft

by Eleanor Farjeon

Heroes and Heroines, first published in 1933, is a delightful collection of witty and lyrical poems recalling the deeds of heroes and heroines from all round the world, including Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Robin Hood, Christopher Columbus, Sir Francis Drake, George Washington, Napoleon, Florence Nightingale, and Buffalo Bill, among others.

 

This beautiful facsimile edition features wonderful illustrations by the artist Rosalind Thornycroft and presents the book as it was originally designed to be enjoyed. Its witty approach to history will entertain children and parents alike.

Genres: Poetry

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1933

About the author

Daughter of Benjamin Leopold Farjeon, sister of Herbert Farjeon and J. Jefferson Farjeon.

Eleanor Farjeon was an English author of children's stories and plays, poetry, biography, history and satire. Many of her works had charming illustrations by Edward Ardizzone. Some of her correspondence has also been published. She won many literary awards and the prestigious Eleanor Farjeon Award for children's literature is presented annually in her memory by the Children's Book Circle, a society of publishers.

Awards:
Hans Christian Andersen Award for Writing (1956)

Reviews

[Mir · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have this book with this ISBN, but it is not, contra the goodreads blurb, a "facsimile edition featuring wonderful illustrations by the artist Rosalind Thornycroft" -- it is a "new ed." (the copyright page specifies this) illustrated by Robin Jacques and published by J.M. Dent & Sons LTD.

Perhaps Ms Thornycroft's illustrations were indeed wonderful enough to make for the tedium of these education poems and their weak attempts at humor, but I doubt it. Jacques macrocephallic people were enough to put me off completely.

There were a couple things I appreciated: first of all, the poems are not all in the same meter. A few of them, when the author wasn't trying to be funny, I actually liked. And I'm glad they included Emmeline Pankhurst, the suffragist.

Less happily, only three non-white figures are mentioned: Pocahontas, Saladin, and Timour "the Tartar." Tartars are "yellow." Saladin was "dusky" and also debauched in a vaguely harem-y way with houris and dancing-girls and sherbet. Africa is Darkest and British imperialism is totally justified -- colonized persons who resist British presence and/or wealth-accumulation are "pillaging and plundering slaves, like jackals".

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just as stylish and amusing as Kings and Queens, Heroes and Heroines celebrates everyone from El Cid to Joan of Arc. I' m dying to read these aloud to someone - that's how good the poems are. Another re-discovered treasure from childhood.