Hans Brinker

by Malvina G. Vogel (Adapter), Mary Mapes Dodge

For generations, readers have enjoyed classic literature. They have delighted in the romance of Jane Austen, thrilled at the adventures of Jules Verne, and pondered the lessons of Aesop. Introduce young readers to these familiar volumes with Great Illustrated Classics. In this series, literary masterworks have been adapted for young scholars. Large, easy-to-read type and charming pen-and-ink drawings enhance the text. Students are sure to enjoy becoming acquainted with traditional literature through these well-loved classics.

Genres: Classics, Fiction, Childrens, Historical Fiction, Historical, Adventure

240 pages, Library Binding

First published May 8, 2012

Reviews

[Jill]

Though predictable and full of tears by many of the characters, both male and female, both young and old, this was an original story, and the quaintness added to it. It's a Dutch book written by an American who was raised by Dutch immigrants and praised for her accuracy about a land she'd not yet been to. The only part that seemed strange was citing miles for the race instead of kilometers. I immediately wondered why the editor didn't change that. It was fun to read a children's book from the mid 1800s. I loved how God-oriented it was - even if only incidentally. There were lots of good lessons to be learned.

[Kara]

I realize the unabridged version is always best, but I am thankful to the Great Illustrated Classics for turning my 8 year-old on to reading classics (or something other than graphic novels, for that matter). She and I both enjoyed the story of Hans Brinker and the lessons on contentment, perseverance and unconditional love interspersed within the story.

[Tim Blackburn]

Better late than never!!! I intended to read this book as a young teenager but never did. I actually forgot about the book until recently when a fellow reader added it to her "Want to Read" list. My local library had a copy so I read just 45 years later than intended!! Hans Brinker is a really wonderful story with valuable life lessons such as trustworthiness, honor, persistence, love, and devotion to family. I thoroughly enjoyed the read and was left pondering the question as to why this book isn't more popular today for Young Adult readers.

[Shana Shroll]

We really enjoyed the characters, plot twists and the descriptions of Holland. This version is a little more watered down than it needed to be - I’m currently reading the unabridged version and it’s not too inaccessible for “modern kids” so if you’re considering this story as a read aloud, don’t shy away from the original!

[John Dishwasher John Dishwasher]

A symmetrical little tale built around the healing of family ruptures. Here the players are rewarded for doing the right thing, though the rewards are more correlated to their actions than caused by them. Definitely a child’s tale. It’s much less sophisticated than any of the other children’s books I’ve read. I guess I’ve never really dabbled in gradeschool stuff.

[Amanda]

A feel good story that got us hooked. We are eagerly waiting to read the unabridged version to fill in the detail that is lost in the abridge version. Still a great story of a family overcoming great obstacles by the kindness of others.

[Dail Sams]

This classic was written by Mary Mapes Dodge (I chose the wrong edition) and first published in 1865. It is not only an appealing story of a brother and sister whose father has been ill for 10 years, but also a learning tool for children about the country of Holland.

[Autumn C.]

Read this with my 6 year old. She loved it! I thought this abridged version did a great job of still being a good quality (but easier) read while not skimping on the important parts of the story of Hans Brinker!

[Miss Lovely]

The cutest and brightest story ever! This has to be my favorite story from the Great Illustrated Classics series, and I have a huge collection of them! :))

[Taunya Rosenquist]

Cooper and My Out loud read. I found it delightful.

[asiya | アセヤ (free palestine)]

This was weird tangent story based off of the original concept for the two children. It was good, though! Can't say that I've heard of the original title!

[Amy]

Read this mini book as a child!

[Vicki Martin]

I know now I ought to read the unabridged. This was for a school proofread and I highly recommend as such.

[Mohammad Rishan]

Great book for kids

[Kelsey]

This version is heavily adapted/abridged, but the heart of the story is wonderful.

[P S]

The cutest and brightest story ever! This has to be my favorite story from the Great Illustrated Classics series, and I have a huge collection of them!! :))

[Elizabeth]

This book was on a suggested reading list for my 3rd grader in the adventure genre; I checked it out to read to my kids, but ran out of time so read it myself. I would recommend an "abridged" version for my kids. There are several intertwined plots that well-written with a focus on good values. One of the plots is a 50-mile ice skating trip taken by 6 older boys. In this part of the tale, the author weaves in a LOT of Dutch facts and history. She does a skillful job, but even this reader with pure Dutch ancestry found these sections a bit tiresome after a while. While her knowledge and descriptions are remarkable, especially since she had not traveled to the Netherlands prior to writing this book, the style is dated. The main narratives, however, are charming and work themselves out memorably.

[Jose]

I thought this book was really good. The story was believable and interesting. The narrative was very realistic and it took you to a small traditional village of Dutch countryside. While reading it you can easily understand how strong is the love between the two siblings, but also how helpfull can be for young people at that age the realetionship they have with their friends. Again, an interesting book with happy end.

[Dexter]

I THINK THAT THIS BOOK HAD VERY SMALL DETAIL IN IT BECAUSE IT IS A ILLUSTRATED CLASSIC MADE SHORTED AND SIMPLER. OTHERWISE I THINK THAT THE PLOT OF THE STORY IS VERY COOL AND AWESOME SINCE THE DAD HAS LIKE RECOVERED FROM A VERY BAD FEVER AND A VERY BAD BRAIN PROBLEM AND HOW IT TELLS PEOPLE ABOUT THE CHARACTERISTIC OF THE PEOPLE FOR EXAMPLE THE DOCTOR HE VERY KIND AND MANY DON'T KNOW THAT ITS TRUE THEY JUST THINK THAT HES A MEAN AND HE'S A GOOD DOCTOR.

[techno]

This was a very good book to read an old classic novel.
It was very expressivean out going in the story of this book.It's really a winter time book to be read in but any time is good.Like I said before It is a really great book to read.I Just wish who ever wrote this book would make anothor book just like the first one.

[Bethany N Wallace]

A wonderful story about a brother and sister in Holland. They are struggling with sorrow for their father was disabled in an accident, can no longer work, and needs constant care. This in turn has made things very tight for their family. The children seek solace in the ice skating that winter. Some amazing things happen to these children, on the way to healing for their family.

[Brandon Kennedy]

This is one of the worst books ever!!!!!!!!!!!! The story starts off with two kids wanting to go skating in a contest and then just changes to five random, idiotic kids skating around talking about random things like stupid artwork you don't even care about. HORRIBLE!!!!!!!

[Aj]

Not the best, but still a good book.

[Tiffany]

I remember I got this as a Christmas present from one of my childhood best friends years ago, and it's just full of wholesome goodness. Really nice, pure kids. Very cute story.

[Jennifer]

Somewhat didactic but a good read.

[Shari Christina]

Read this version with my 9 year old son as part of his homeschooling studies. I thought this was a really good story....now I want to read the original version.

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library)]

A fun little adaptation of a classic story.

[Janet]

This was one of my favorite books as a child. I loved skating and exploring my heritage. I came across this book and enjoyed it again.

[Elizabeth]

Such a timeless classic! Loved reading it with my boys:)

[Pato Myers]

This was an alright kid's book, not the sort of thing I read as a child.