Beowulf: A Hero's Tale Retold

by James Rumford

When sleep was at its deepest, night at its blackest, up from the mist-filled marsh came Grendel stalking . . .

Thus begins the battle between good and evil, for lying in wait and anxious to challenge the ogre Grendel is a young man, strong-willed and fire-hearted. This man is Beowulf, whose heroic dragon-slaying deeds were sung in the courts of Anglo-Saxon England more than a thousand years ago.

Award-winning author and illustrator James Rumford forges his own account of Beowulf with the few Anglo-Saxon words still present in our language. These ironstrong ancient words recall the boldness of the original poem and, together with Rumford’s pen-and-ink illustrations, they fashion an unforgettable story of a hero who never gave up—no matter how difficult the struggle—no matter how deep and dark the night.

Genres: Classics, Picture Books, Fiction, Mythology, Fantasy, Childrens, Literature

44 pages, Hardcover

First published August 6, 2007

About the author

I have been writing, illustrating, and designing children's books since 1996. I am on the verge of self-publishing through books that are printed on demand and via the internet. For more on my children's books, see my website: http://www.jamesrumford.com. I also have a blog about writing and illustrating children's books at http://www.calabashcat.blogspot.com. Besides commercially published books, I run a private letter press company and do limited-edition, handmade books. See more at http://www.manoapress.com. I am interested in foreign languages and in poetry. See my blog "Horace et al." at http://www.jasrumford.blogspot.com. I live in Honolulu with my wife.

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Children's author and illustrator James Rumford turns to the Anglo-Saxon epic of Beowulf in this powerful picture-book retelling of a classic story. Using only words that have come down to us from Old English - the original language of Beowulf - he relates how the great hall of Hrothgar, the king of the Danes, was laid low by the monster Grendel; how the hero Beowulf of Geatland (AKA Götaland) slew Grendel and his mother; and how Beowulf faced one last test in his old age, sacrificing himself to defeat a dragon threatening his people...

Beowulf: A Hero's Tale Retold is the third children's adaptation of this tale that I have read, following upon Rosemary Sutcliff's Beowulf and Ian Serraillier's Beowulf the Warrior . These other two are intended for older children, who are reading chapter-books, whereas Rumford's telling can be used with younger picture-book audiences, provided they are not too sensitive about hearing frightening stories. The narrative here is beautifully done, with simple but powerful words, reflecting, as Rumford intended them to do, the linguistic feeling of the original. The accompanying artwork, done in pen and ink and watercolor, were dark but similarly powerful, and were apparently inspired by the work of Arthur Rackham and Edmund Dulac. I enjoyed everything about this book, from the text to the illustrations, and I appreciated the inclusion of a few sentences in the original Old English/Anglo Saxon. Recommended to anyone looking for a children's first Beowulf.

[R. G. Nairam · Rating 5 out of 5]

me: "wow, this sounds SO anglo-saxon"
james: "so i used almost entirely old English root words"
book: -earns final star with heart eyes-

[Ebookwormy1 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Riveting text and vibrant drawings bring the ancient poem to life for children. Rumford has done everything right! A brief, but informative epilogue educates us as to the author illustrator's sources of inspiration for both the text (translations of the poem, linguistic decisions) and the illustration (work of Arthur Rackham and Edmund Dulac, as well as Anglo-Saxon and Keltic manuscripts from the first century).

The decision to limit the vocabulary to Anglo-Saxon words (with some Old Norse, Latin and Greek that were contemporaries of the original record) still utilized in English today is brilliant. This discipline maintains the weight of time the poem carries while preserving understanding for today's child. The pronunciation directives facilitate an engaging read aloud experience.

Meanwhile, the illustrations are clearly in context, reflecting the style of these ancient warriors. Even the media, bold line drawings washed with the water colors of an earthy palette, complement the story, providing an intuitive connection to the visual art of the Angles, Saxons and Kelts.

Perhaps the strong language and fierce illustrations will make this presentation a bit strong for a sensitive child accustomed to today's politically correct, feminized, softness. But my boys LOVE it, and it is wonderful to find a presentation that resonates with them while remaining faithful to echo the strength and beauty of Boewulf, which has captured readers for centuries.

Well done, James Rumford!!! This is a work for which you can be truly proud! An excellent contribution to the education and enjoyment of anyone, child or adult! A joy to own in our library, and a recommended starting point for anyone interested in Beowulf!

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A re-telling of Beowulf with easy to understand language with lovely illustrations. This edition was a fantastic used book store find :)

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Out of the 4 Beowulf retellings I previewed for my kids, this is the only one I approved. The others had scary, violent, or disturbing pictures. This one has some eerie illustrations, but they were ok for my 6 year old in my opinion. The text is short (like a longer picture book) and I thought it was effectively simplified and retold. My 6 yr old son loved it; my 11 yr old daughter didn't even want to finish it. 😆

[Barbara Gregorich · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read maybe three translations of Beowulf over the years (haven't read Heaney's yet), and I wasn't sure I wanted to read another, but this book received such great reviews that I bought it — and am I ever glad I did. Although this is marketed as a children's book, and the story is condensed for that reason, I've found that adults also enjoy this re-telling. Rumford uses only those words which can trace their roots to Anglo-Saxon (or were already part of Anglo-Saxon at the time of this story), with the exception of three pronouns (they, them, their).

What a difference this choice (using Anglo-Saxon words) makes in the feel of the story. It feels visceral. Serious. Whenever I feel the need for a dose of Anglo-Saxon English, I read this book again. A beautifully told story.

[Summer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recommended by a friend and our boys loved it and wanted me to read nothing else! I thought the artwork was in a similar vein of Dangerous Journey even though it’s not the same illustrator.

I found it fascinating in the authors note that he kept the story’s language to the Anglo-Saxon language as much as possible and the journey in eytmology he brings us on to understand the roots of our English language today. Very fun read.

[Karin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hero Tale
Rumford, James. Beowulf: A Hero’s Tale Retold. (2006).
The tale begins in ancient Denmark, where the young Beowulf arrives to fulfill a promise made to the king. The people of Denmark were living in fear of a menacing man-eating ogre. Once there, Beowulf bravely faces the ogre with no weapons, and is able to use his “iron grip” to tear off the beast’s arm and scare him away. However, once the ogre dies, his vindictive mother comes up from the marsh to take her revenge. The Danes are able to drive her away, but knowing that evil cannot be left to stand, Beowulf bravely goes after the ogre’s mother and battles her to her death. Beowulf returns to his homeland and gives up the reward the Danish king gave him, “as is the way of great men.” Beowulf then enjoys decades of peace, grows old, and becomes king of his homeland. But then a dragon appears, “full of hate…burning and killing.” What will Beowulf do now that he is an old man? Who will save his people?
In this amazing retelling of the epic poem first written down around A.D. 800, Rumford has chosen to use only words that can be traced to the ancient Anglo Saxon and Norse languages. What is most striking, is that using only words that existed in ancient times, Rumford has not only added authenticity to this retelling, but a melodic tone that is surprisingly easy to read. Children today will have little trouble comprehending the story, and will relish the wording of the text. “A deep wound now opened…The sinews were bursting, the arm bones loosening;” “Fifty winters came and went.” The text provides much more detail and gore than the images do, which really play more of a supporting role depicting key scenes narrated in the text. However, the masterful illustrations are not to be dismissed, for they are full of emotion and action that vividly come through in the large, inked watercolor art panels. The battle scenes are the most dramatic and thrilling with great use of line to depict the action and turmoil, but free of blood and gore. Something to notice, are the background illustrations that completely cover the pages. These background illustrations hint at the impending doom, by first giving readers glimpses of the dragon that will appear in the end, and then showing an increasing number of crows that could mean what, exactly? An engaging read, especially for upper elementary kids who love action and hero tales where strength, skill, and good prevail.
Target audience: ages 9-13

[Fran · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up.
This was a great introduction for children to the world of world literature. The illustration were beautiful and bright and the story skimmed the major points of the original plot. Short and easily read for a younger age group in smaller chunks.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simplified but helpful for the Beowulf beginner

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful retelling of the poem, done with much research and authenticity. It can be read aloud in one sitting. The illustrations and text also are beautiful and have a historic Old English feel.

[Audrey's Picture Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm normally a grinch about watered-down children's versions of classic literature. What's amazing about this one is that it doesn't feel watered-down, or even abridged. It feels like you're really reading Beowulf--except that it's over very quickly and has wonderful illustrations to go with it. Rumford has a great instinct for recognizing and leaving intact what's at the heart of Beowulf, even syntactically. He manages to get in some alliteration here and there, as well as preserving some of the descriptive formulas. Wisely, he also refrains from toning down the Anglo-Saxon zest for a good blow to the head or gushing wound. The book's readability is even more impressive, given that Rumford claims to have written it using (with a handful of carefully enumerated exceptions) only words that could be etymologically traced back to Old English. If he'd proposed that project to me, I'd have said it was an interesting brain teaser, but couldn't possibly produce a story worth reading. Shows what I know. Not only does this book manage to live up to being Beowulf, I'd actually recommend it on its own strength. The only thing I will say is that it's definitely for older children. Even abridged, it's considerably longer than is usual for the genre, and, much as I think my first graders would enjoy the story, I don't think they could sit through the whole thing.

[Cariegreer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beowulf: A Hero’s Tale Retold is an English folklore of juvenile literature based on Beowulf a hero poem written around the year A.D. 800. The poem itself was written in Old English or Anglo-Saxon, which is said to be the basis of the English language. Some of the words come from Latin, Greek, and Old Norse- the language of Vikings. The illustrations are dark and outlined in black with an emphasis on the color of green and depict a lot of fighting with swords to the death. The text of the story is in black squares with white backgrounds. Beowulf is a man who is bold and fearless. In the marshes of Denmark lived an ogre named Grendel who during twelve long winters, killed and swallowed his victims; swords could not harm him because he had weakened their weapons with a mighty spell. Many came to fight against Grendel and one such fighter was Beowulf who had a locklike grip. He killed the Grendel, then Grendel’s mother and eventually became king. Fifty years later, a dragon awoke and Beowulf fought to the death and the tale ended. The age suggested for this literature is “Ages: Strong-hearted and up.” The age suggested for this literature is “Ages: Strong-hearted and up.”

[Marc Hays · Rating 5 out of 5]

This hardcover, picture book version of Beowulf is a cut above others. While keeping in mind that he was gearing this book toward young readers, James Rumford chose only English words that can be traced back to the time when the story was told. He explains the history of the story and his translation on the last page.

It is a beautiful retelling of the ancient tale. Here's a sample from the first page:

"What you have heard before is nothing. I will stir up the waters of the old days and shape the long ago then into now. I will speak of ogres and dragons and faraway lands. Listen! For I will sing of Beowulf, a man bold and fearless, and tell you the truth about hard-won fights and steadfast hearts."

If you remember the tale, it is very violent--much blood spilt and ogres' heads removed. It is a tale of heroism, faithfulness, bravery, and mighty deeds, but also of mortality. I read it with all my kids, but the boys are the ones who ask for it to be read again. The book can be read entirely in one sitting of about 15 minutes.

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This retelling of the classic Anglo-Saxon poem maintains the integrity of the original masterpiece through a shortened version in the prose form. The vivid, detailed drawings highlight the important aspects of the story and add to the epic feel and the dialogue and narration maintains the epic style without being weighted down or impractical.

[Willa Guadalupe Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beowulf is one of my favorite stories of all time & this is the BEST childrens version I have ever come across! It has all the action & flavor of Seamus Heaney's version but easily accessable to 4-8 year olds.

[GraceAnne · Rating 5 out of 5]

written with muscular clarity and brilliantly illustrated - he acknowledges his debt to Rackham and Dulac.

[S. Terrell French · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rich language and gorgeous pictures.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had never read Beowulf and, when I saw this book on the library shelves, I thought this might be an easy way to be exposed to the story. Obviously, I am not an expert on old English in general or this story in particular, but this book strikes me as being well done.

The illustrations are remind me of those commonly found in graphic novels, although the book is laid out like a picture book rather than comic book style. That seems like a good choice, since it is closer to the original text and also allows for a bit more depth in the story than one can get in graphic format. I really like the way the dragon that will eventually kill Beowulf is in the background on each page until that dragon enters the story, after which there are ravens (harbingers of death?) in the background. The artwork is attractive and seems to fit the story well.

I also like the explanation at the end of the book, which talks about the history of language and the fact that the author tried to use words that were part of English at the time when this story was originally written.

So, I think this is a good, well done book. The story itself, which I imagine is fairly true to the original, is not one that appeals to me greatly, being all about battle, super-human strength and power in battle, and the noble pursuit of one's enemies at all cost. It is also about loyalty, and that is a value I can get behind. In general, is the kind of story that is more likely to appeal to a different demographic and I remember that my son was pretty "into" the story when he was exposed to it as a 6th grader. That makes the layout and treatment of the story in this book a particularly good choice, since it is accessible and attractive to that demographic.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

My 10 y.o. son had to do a report on a mythological figure and he chose Beowulf as his character. We first watched Beowulf, the one starring Angelina Jolie, and then we checked out this tale from our library. We enjoyed spotting the differences and similarities between the book and the movie. Also, in the back of the book, Rumford gives a brief history lesson on when Beowulf was published (1832) and the Anglo-Saxon vocabulary he used within his retelling. Definitely appropriate for children and contained detailed graphics throughout the book. I would definitely recommend this to those interested in mythology.

[Homemade Book Reviews Book Reviews from a Christian Worldview · Rating 5 out of 5]

You never know what you’re going to get with a children’s adaption; but this knocked it out of the park!

James Rumford did such a wonderful job keeping the poetic cadence and old English words in this retelling. With a detailed picture on every page, it was perfect to capture the attention of my little readers. We loved it so much, after borrowing it from the library, we had to buy our own copy!

[Savannah Webster · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a beautifully illustrated version of the ancient poem. He mixes in original Anglo-Saxon words with pronunciation to give the story an authentic feel. It is a bold dark story of good and evil between men and monsters. The illustrations are gorgeous but grim. It is not for very young children, I would say 8+ or as the book jacket states, "Ages: Strong hearted and up"

[Chris Jamison · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent illustrated retelling of the Beowulf saga.

The author used Old English (Anglo-Saxon)-rooted words as much as possible, avoiding our English words rooted in the Norman-French.

Additionally, the author/illustrator notes his illustrations are in the spirit of Arthur Rackham and Edmond Dulac, two of my favorite illustrators.

[Marianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good retelling of the tale for younger people. While it does have some kennings, it is a bit lacking in poetic language. That, however, is forgivable once you see the fabulous illustrations Rumford created for the book.

[Tim R · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great retelling of the original epic. Written in prose, it covers all of the key elements of the story with great illustrations. It also includes a few direct quotes in the original Old English. A quick and fun read.

[Alicia Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I selected this book as a read-aloud for my 7.5 year old son as an enriching source for our history curriculum. All my kids liked it. My three-year-old requested it for story time.

[Jodi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great overview of the real story

[Shiloah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well done Beowulf tale retold for children. Beautiful and lovely illustrations.

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well done retelling of the original poem with great illustrations

[Jess Deanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great retelling of the classic with beautiful pictures. A perfect introduction for young readers.