What do you think?
Rate this book
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
Are all the lights on?
Is there a parent in the house?
Are the windows shut and locked? Double-check!
They HAVE to be if you are going to read this book, which is undoubtedly the scariest rendition of one of the greatest ghost stories ever The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.
While you may have heard of Ichabod Crane, Katrina Van Tassel, and the Headless Horseman, you've never SEEN them quite like this -- through the macabre imagination of the inimitable Gris Grimly.
So, take a deep breath and take a long look. And you may want to bring a flashlight to bed with you tonight....
Is there a parent in the house?
Are the windows shut and locked? Double-check!
They HAVE to be if you are going to read this book, which is undoubtedly the scariest rendition of one of the greatest ghost stories ever The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.
While you may have heard of Ichabod Crane, Katrina Van Tassel, and the Headless Horseman, you've never SEEN them quite like this -- through the macabre imagination of the inimitable Gris Grimly.
So, take a deep breath and take a long look. And you may want to bring a flashlight to bed with you tonight....
40 pages, Hardcover
Published August 7, 2007
9 people are currently reading
923 people want to read
About the author
Gris Grimly
37 books307 followersGris Grimly is an artist and storyteller who is based in the Los Angeles area best known for his darkly whimsical children's books.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 105 reviews
November 19, 2016
This is a slightly condensed version of Washington Irving's classic short story. Ichabod Crane, a superstitious schoolmaster in Sleepy Hollow, is in love with a wealthy farmer's daughter who has many suitors. He has a terrifying encounter with a headless horseman.
This version of the book is published by the Atheneum Books for Young Readers. It has humorous black and orange illustrations done in pen, ink, and watercolor by Gris Grimly. Delightful!
This version of the book is published by the Atheneum Books for Young Readers. It has humorous black and orange illustrations done in pen, ink, and watercolor by Gris Grimly. Delightful!
September 8, 2016
I have come to realize over the last several months that I owned an impressive stack of comic books as a child, and that they were a very eclectic mix of super heroes, fairy tales, and Classics Illustrated. I’m reasonably comfortable in asserting that it was from one of these comics that I originally became acquainted with Sleepy Hollow and the Headless Horseman.
So for the Pumpkin square on my Hallowe’en Bingo card, I decided to read Washington Irving’s ghostly tale. Imagine my surprise to find it nearly impossible to find the unaltered original story in either my public library or university library! They were all either illustrated children’s versions (one of which I ended up with), simple versions for ESL students, or scripts for plays. Both libraries had copies of the original at one time or another, but they have all gone missing. I’m starting to feel like there was a ghostly conspiracy to keep the original story out of my hands!
As it turns out, I thoroughly enjoyed the illustrations of Gris Grimly. His horses were especially delightful. Ichabod Crane was as gangly and long-nosed as you could imagine and Brom Bones was the bulky bully that I expected. Katrina Van Tassel was a trifle disappointing to me, not really inhabiting much space in the artwork—I’d be interested to read the original to see how much stage-time she received in it.
A charming story, well illustrated. Someday, I will get my hands on the real deal and be able to contrast and compare.
So for the Pumpkin square on my Hallowe’en Bingo card, I decided to read Washington Irving’s ghostly tale. Imagine my surprise to find it nearly impossible to find the unaltered original story in either my public library or university library! They were all either illustrated children’s versions (one of which I ended up with), simple versions for ESL students, or scripts for plays. Both libraries had copies of the original at one time or another, but they have all gone missing. I’m starting to feel like there was a ghostly conspiracy to keep the original story out of my hands!
As it turns out, I thoroughly enjoyed the illustrations of Gris Grimly. His horses were especially delightful. Ichabod Crane was as gangly and long-nosed as you could imagine and Brom Bones was the bulky bully that I expected. Katrina Van Tassel was a trifle disappointing to me, not really inhabiting much space in the artwork—I’d be interested to read the original to see how much stage-time she received in it.
A charming story, well illustrated. Someday, I will get my hands on the real deal and be able to contrast and compare.
December 2, 2017
While Washington Irving'sThe Legend of Sleepy Hollow is a short text, the language can present challenges for various middle school and high school readers.
This graphic novel bridges the complex vocabulary. In some instances words are rephrased for clarification. Oftentimes, original word choices from Irving's text are used, but supported with the ominous illustrations.
The illustrations support the "twilight superstitions" of Sleepy Hollow with their various and numerous earth tones. Orange and gold backgrounds identify dusk falling and early morn. Other colors are subdued. A pink dress appears completely color-washed. The lake water's light blue evokes chilled glass. The colors alone scream sinister!
This rendition of Ichabod Crane beautifully showcases his true nature flickering behind the facade he presents to the town's women. His hands depicted as shovel-like, his long lying dos, and his hollow thin frame make him as unlikeable as ever.
The Headless Horseman "who is ever and anon seen by the country folk, hurrying along in the gloom of night as if on the wings of the wind", looks just as terrifying here as in my imagination. The head/pumpkin thrown left a little to be desired, but all other images of him depict him galloping, giving chase, and pursuing. He reign of terror continues in this adaptation.
If you're looking to make the original text of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow more accessible to students, this version is written on a 7th grade reading level. If you're just a fan of the original tale, the illustrations in this graphic novel should delight you.
This graphic novel bridges the complex vocabulary. In some instances words are rephrased for clarification. Oftentimes, original word choices from Irving's text are used, but supported with the ominous illustrations.
The illustrations support the "twilight superstitions" of Sleepy Hollow with their various and numerous earth tones. Orange and gold backgrounds identify dusk falling and early morn. Other colors are subdued. A pink dress appears completely color-washed. The lake water's light blue evokes chilled glass. The colors alone scream sinister!
This rendition of Ichabod Crane beautifully showcases his true nature flickering behind the facade he presents to the town's women. His hands depicted as shovel-like, his long lying dos, and his hollow thin frame make him as unlikeable as ever.
The Headless Horseman "who is ever and anon seen by the country folk, hurrying along in the gloom of night as if on the wings of the wind", looks just as terrifying here as in my imagination. The head/pumpkin thrown left a little to be desired, but all other images of him depict him galloping, giving chase, and pursuing. He reign of terror continues in this adaptation.
If you're looking to make the original text of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow more accessible to students, this version is written on a 7th grade reading level. If you're just a fan of the original tale, the illustrations in this graphic novel should delight you.
October 31, 2015
Wonderfully creepy illustrations and the original text of the story.
A definite recommend for a spooky Halloween read ;)!
A definite recommend for a spooky Halloween read ;)!
March 15, 2022
I just recently read The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and when I discovered that my library had an adaptation illustrated by Gris Grimly, I was very excited to check it out. Grimly's version certainly edits the story down a bit, but it has a lot less of the dryness that the Irving tale did, so that made it a much more accessible read. I would say that if you're looking to read The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, but just want the good bits, this is a nice way to start. Although, I would also recommend actually reading the original work in its entirety, as well.
October 12, 2025
"All these, however, were mere terrors of the night, phantoms of the mind that walk in darkness."
I have to admit, I don't think that I have read the full version of Sleepy Hollow. It is one of those tales, that despite whether you have read it, the spectre of the headless horseman can still be conjured up in your mind, making you think that you may be more aware of the tale than you really are.
What led me to this edition was that it is illustrated by Gris Grimly. He is one of my favourite illustrators. His work is often wonderfully creepy, and so I thought it would be interesting to see what he adds to the tale. And, although I did enjoy it, I took off one star because it wasn't quite as scary as I had been expecting, or hoping. There isn't a lot of horror, or scares, during this read and this is why I haven't added it to my horror shelf. And this makes me wonder; should I go to the original tale? Would that give me more of what I was after, or is it a case that I think the tale is something that I'm pulling from the film adaptations that I have seen? I'm not sure.
It is a beautiful looking book. As expected, the illustrations by Grimly are lovely. They are missing some of their creepiness, but again, I think this is because of the tale itself.
If you are looking for a graphic adaptation of a classic horror book, I would suggest that you try Grimly's edition of Frankenstein.
I have to admit, I don't think that I have read the full version of Sleepy Hollow. It is one of those tales, that despite whether you have read it, the spectre of the headless horseman can still be conjured up in your mind, making you think that you may be more aware of the tale than you really are.
What led me to this edition was that it is illustrated by Gris Grimly. He is one of my favourite illustrators. His work is often wonderfully creepy, and so I thought it would be interesting to see what he adds to the tale. And, although I did enjoy it, I took off one star because it wasn't quite as scary as I had been expecting, or hoping. There isn't a lot of horror, or scares, during this read and this is why I haven't added it to my horror shelf. And this makes me wonder; should I go to the original tale? Would that give me more of what I was after, or is it a case that I think the tale is something that I'm pulling from the film adaptations that I have seen? I'm not sure.
It is a beautiful looking book. As expected, the illustrations by Grimly are lovely. They are missing some of their creepiness, but again, I think this is because of the tale itself.
If you are looking for a graphic adaptation of a classic horror book, I would suggest that you try Grimly's edition of Frankenstein.
October 23, 2020
I discovered Gris Grimly for the simple fact that Guillermo Del Toro is directing the upcoming clay animation of Pinocchio for Netflix and he is using Gris Grimly illustrations as inspiration for his film. So of course I need to devour everything I can get my hands on in reference to Gris Grimly and luckily my local library has a lot of his works. I haven't read The Legend of Sleepy Hollow in years and thought what a great way to engage myself as we approach the month of Halloween.
For the most part I will tell you that this is not the complete unabridged version of Sleepy Hollow. Gris Grimly wrote an abridged version and supplied the rest through his beautiful illustrations. Sometimes I feel when it comes to tackling classics for new generations, there is no enthusiasm towards how can we engage the minds of young people to read these classics and maintain a sense of culture and tradition. I believe Gris Grimly solved the issue of trying to maintain the core of the original tale but supplying instead his illustrations to keep the readers attention.
I swear if you have never seen his illustrations then you need to pick up a copy of his book whether original or adapting classics. The use of color and how he draws the characters felt refreshing and keep my eyes glued to the book. I did not want to put it down and I really like how he made early colonial America look creepy and yet entertaining. If it wasn't for the fact that I quickly figured out that this was the abridged version of the text, I would have given it 5 stars. Nevertheless I am glad to have reread this classic tale and I look forward to someday read Pinocchio with Gris Grimly designs.
For the most part I will tell you that this is not the complete unabridged version of Sleepy Hollow. Gris Grimly wrote an abridged version and supplied the rest through his beautiful illustrations. Sometimes I feel when it comes to tackling classics for new generations, there is no enthusiasm towards how can we engage the minds of young people to read these classics and maintain a sense of culture and tradition. I believe Gris Grimly solved the issue of trying to maintain the core of the original tale but supplying instead his illustrations to keep the readers attention.
I swear if you have never seen his illustrations then you need to pick up a copy of his book whether original or adapting classics. The use of color and how he draws the characters felt refreshing and keep my eyes glued to the book. I did not want to put it down and I really like how he made early colonial America look creepy and yet entertaining. If it wasn't for the fact that I quickly figured out that this was the abridged version of the text, I would have given it 5 stars. Nevertheless I am glad to have reread this classic tale and I look forward to someday read Pinocchio with Gris Grimly designs.
October 31, 2018
What a treat - Irving's fine old tale, illustrated by one of my favorite artists!
Much of the book seems played for laughs, particularly the panels of Icabod cutting a rug. Things get deadly serious toward the end when our hapless schoolteacher makes his life-or-death dash for the bridge. A perfect read for a Halloween eve!
Much of the book seems played for laughs, particularly the panels of Icabod cutting a rug. Things get deadly serious toward the end when our hapless schoolteacher makes his life-or-death dash for the bridge. A perfect read for a Halloween eve!
June 9, 2013
First of all, i understand that this is a book mostly written for youngsters but i didn't thought it to be that much pointless.
I'm almost angry at this story for being so irrelevant.
I expected a well written tale about a ghost, instead of that I struggled to go through all the description in this focus-less story. What i did get out of this story : description of the main character Ichabod, description of food, description of trees, 2 pages of pursuit by the pumpkin ghost, wobbly ending.
No scare, no thrill, no suspense. It didn't even get a smile out of me.
The only good point of this story is its shortness, because I wouldn't have willingly gave it more than an hour of my life.
I'm almost angry at this story for being so irrelevant.
I expected a well written tale about a ghost, instead of that I struggled to go through all the description in this focus-less story. What i did get out of this story : description of the main character Ichabod, description of food, description of trees, 2 pages of pursuit by the pumpkin ghost, wobbly ending.
No scare, no thrill, no suspense. It didn't even get a smile out of me.
The only good point of this story is its shortness, because I wouldn't have willingly gave it more than an hour of my life.
October 30, 2025
Fun, quick and atmospheric read for Halloween.
Mixing a condedesned version of one of America's oldest ghost stories with fun illustrations into the Graphic Novel treatment, this book makes for a cool, seasonal read during the Fall season for all ages.
Mixing a condedesned version of one of America's oldest ghost stories with fun illustrations into the Graphic Novel treatment, this book makes for a cool, seasonal read during the Fall season for all ages.
October 16, 2016
Wonderful. I was already familiar with the story since I grew up with the Disney film, but I still enjoyed reading it with Gris Grimly's truly wonderful illustrations.
October 11, 2021
A ghost story about a haunting of woods by a headless horseman makes Icabod brag about his prowess; however, when he encounters the specter, his bravery flees with his old, ragged horse. During my reading of this story, I realized that Icabod's need to elevate himself above others is actually motivated by greed, not for his love of the young woman, Katrina Van Tassel. I'm not sure how much I like the fact that Irving makes Bones "the hero of the scene" (Irving 30) because he doesn't sound any better for Katrina than the boisterous Icabod. However, Irving's setting is the epitome of creepy with his description of Sleepy Hollow as "There was a contagion in the very air that blew from the haunted region." (Irving 31). This is the perfect backdrop for a scary story of a headless being. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for an American classic tale that summons up ghostly thoughts during the Fall season.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 27, 2019
Read the text and enjoy the colorful and lush language of Washington Irving's classic story reimagined here as a graphic novel.
The story is the same. The illustrations are very detailed. They remind me of Tim Burton's style of art, specifically in how Burton perceives his humans to look.
An interesting point of the Sleepy Hollow tale by Irving that is adjusted, possibly to cater to the juvenile reading audience, is that the Horseman is not in fact chasing after someone to look for a new head, but is looking for his own head which is why the Headless Horseman rides around.
Irving's writing is very clear in the text aside from a few tiny alterations, but overall, this was a fun read for October!
The story is the same. The illustrations are very detailed. They remind me of Tim Burton's style of art, specifically in how Burton perceives his humans to look.
An interesting point of the Sleepy Hollow tale by Irving that is adjusted, possibly to cater to the juvenile reading audience, is that the Horseman is not in fact chasing after someone to look for a new head, but is looking for his own head which is why the Headless Horseman rides around.
Irving's writing is very clear in the text aside from a few tiny alterations, but overall, this was a fun read for October!
April 21, 2023
I have never read the original Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving; I only had movies in my background of this story. This book is illustrated similarly to the Disney adaptation. But I guess Ichabod is described thoroughly to look exactly like that. I love Gris Grimly's style so it was fun. Ichabod is not the loveable, awkward, goofball-turned-unwitting-hero that he is made out to be though. He's really sort of a cowardly, greedy jerk. Good riddance. (Though those poor kids with no more teacher! How will they LEARN?!)
March 10, 2017
I was reluctant to read this when I realized it was abridged. But I liked the art so much that I gave in.
it was easier to read than expected for a story that was written almost 200 years ago. Well written, in fact, with beautiful and spooky imagery. it echoed the Disney adaptation so well with me and I enjoyed the sense of nostalgia. though the story itself was not quite as creepy as I expected. the idea lives on, however, and remains a favourite.
it was easier to read than expected for a story that was written almost 200 years ago. Well written, in fact, with beautiful and spooky imagery. it echoed the Disney adaptation so well with me and I enjoyed the sense of nostalgia. though the story itself was not quite as creepy as I expected. the idea lives on, however, and remains a favourite.
October 24, 2017
Quise leer este libro lento, para saborear, sentir y disfrutar en esta época tan cerca de halloween. este tradicional cuento, al principio me pareció difícil por las palabras digamos... Anticuadas.... Sin embargo creo que eso le dio un plus y a la mitad del cuento cuando ichabod Crane es perseguido por sus miedos, recordando todas aquellas historias y sintiéndose más solo que nunca en el bosque, AHi fue donde simplemente no pude dejar de leer...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 25, 2022
Thanks to Disney animated shorts, Sleep Hollow is one of my favorite stories. This abridged text has illustrations with an aged feel that add to the mildly creepy tale. They did a good job of keeping the heart (or head?) of the story and the illustrations, while not my favorite style, are perfect for it. This version may not make my annual reread list, but it’s definitely worth picking up at least once.
August 5, 2019
I was well acquainted with the original story and was looking for a version adapted to ESL students (High School).
I was not disappointed as the graphic interpretation is dense and will fulfill my teenagers’ curiosity.
I was not disappointed as the graphic interpretation is dense and will fulfill my teenagers’ curiosity.
September 2, 2019
This is one of my most favorite stories of all time, so I love to see different interpretations of it. I really liked Grimly’s version of Frankenstein, but I guess I didn’t appreciate the same art style on this story. It didn’t work for me.
September 29, 2021
This was such a nostalgic read for me. Of course, I grew up watching the Disney version of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and I was pleasantly surprised at how well it follows the original story. It gave me all the cozy, autumn feels. 🧡
November 7, 2021
I did not like the writing or the artwork. I got this version by mistake from the library, hopefully the full book will be better. I can’t imagine kids liking this or being able to connect with the writing at all.
Book 7/30 for 30 Books in 30 Days
Book 7/30 for 30 Books in 30 Days
October 7, 2023
I read this last night to get into the spooky mood and honestly it was very atmospheric and there were bits where I did find myself genuinely chilled. The way it's written is so well done and the scenes are so vividly described you can't help but picture yourself there in the moment.
October 19, 2025
A whimsy gothic short story that has you from beggining to end. highly recommended the audio book rendition with songs denoting each part of the story and soundscapes throughout that brings the story to life.
February 8, 2018
A classic creepy tale illustrated by Gris Grimly--what more can I say?
November 8, 2018
Happily found this in the gift shop at Washington Irving's home. Wonderful Gris Grimly art to accompany Irving's classic tale.
September 1, 2019
great illustrations
October 25, 2019
Eerie and creepy artwork, perfect for this tale!
February 7, 2020
Not much for artwork, that bummed me out I really enjoy his work. I felt that the story was stretched out far too much. An interesting end.
November 8, 2020
One of my favorite stories of all time, beautifully illustrated by Grimly.
February 12, 2021
It's quite poetic.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 105 reviews