Moby Dick

by Philip Edwards (Adaptor), Herman Melville (Original Work), Adam Horsepool (Illustrator)

Come along on an unforgettable journey across the ocean in this seaworthy retelling of the classic tale about a whaling ship, its formidable captain, and his relentless search for the great white whale of legend.

Genres: Picture Books

32 pages, Hardcover

Published April 4, 2017

About the author

Philip Edwards is a former King Alfred Professor of English Literature at Liverpool University. He is the editor of the New Cambridge edition of 'Hamlet' (1985). His many publications include 'Shakespeare and the Confines of Art' (Methuen, 1968) and 'Threshold of a Nation: A Study in English and Irish Drama' (Cambridge, 1979).

Reviews

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Moby Dick: 10 Minute Classics, retold by Philip Edwards and illustrated by Adam Horsepool. It's a picture book version of Moby Dick, to be sure, much condensed, thirty-two pages versus the complete 655, but it's a nice abridgment, with all the key happenings, and enlivened by the clever caricatures of Ahab and Ismael and Queequeg drawn by the illustrator.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gr 1-4 Moby Dick is the latest classic in the 10 Minute Classics series. In this advanced picture book, Melville's first person epic of the sea-loving Ishmael, and his entanglement in Captain Ahab's obsessive hunt for the great white whale, gets stripped down to its core elements. As a consequence, little of the original's literary, thematic, and historical merit remains, and many of the book's important plot points are left out completely; that being said, this version should appeal to young readers who enjoy straightforward, narrative-driven works. Edwards does manage to successfully convert Melville's verbosity into a more appropriate form for modern children, while maintaining the tone and style of speech. Each double spread features a single illustration that highlights the key event mentioned in the text, these are coloured with a dramatic effect in mind. Character designs have a Disney-like quality to them, body shapes, and facial features are embellished to visually represent a personality, which assists in the text minimized environment. VERDICT The 10 Minute Classics Moby Dick offers a decent introduction to the plot of the classic, but is best used for entertainment, rather than educational purposes.

*reviewed for School Library Journal

[Stephanie Bange · Rating 4 out of 5]

The classic tale of man vs. whale, appropriate to read to children.

This is the book many helicopter parents have been asking for! You know those parents who want their child to experience The Classics when they are just barely out of diapers...a whale of a tale, right? Edwards does a very nice job of retelling and capturing the essence of the tale of the Great White Whale. He uses terminology and verbiage that might have been used during the time, making it seem "from the past". Adam Horsepool's illustrations are beautiful and go far in capturing the majesty that used to be whaling. I appreciate that he used the same background for the beginning of the story that he uses for the end where the Ishmael is captured; the whale-shaped clouds were inspired. His recreation of the aurora borealis in the sky is inspiring.

An excellent adaptation of Moby Dick for ages K-grade 5.

[matteo · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations lead the way for this one. They are gorgeous, colorful, dark, soaring, staggering, panoramic. The text is limited--I actually wanted more description, but I don't think my 2- and 4-year-olds cared. They just wanted to see the whale, but its appearance is limited. The only qualm I had is that some of the people had really tiny heads, which was jarring because there didn't seem to be consistency as to why.

[Suzanne Lorraine Kunz Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Philip Edwards, you are on to something great here! Thank you for taking major classics, pulling out the major themes, plots and actions of the book and turning the classic into a book that parents can read aloud to their children.

I'm hoping this sparks many children into reading the original classic. But, even if it doesn't, at least we have the core of what the book was trying to say in your abbreviated book.

[Jaide · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gorgeous illustrations! Reading it felt like watching a 2D animation. You can hear the bustle of the harbor and the crashing of timber; you can feel the chill of the snow.
Though a picture book, the amount of words are lengthy, so perhaps for older children. Still, well done.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really nice kid-appropriate adaptation with great illustrations. Still has challenging vocabulary and a well told story.

[Marglena · Rating 5 out of 5]

The famous classic of Moby Dick’s adventure with interesting illustration by Adam Horsepool

[Andréa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Note: I received a stapled galley of this book from the publisher at ALA Midwinter 2017.