Don Quixote

by Martin Jenkins (Adapter), Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Chris Riddell (Illustrator)

"Walker Illustrated Classics" is a new series which brings together some of the best-loved stories ever told, illustrated by some of today's finest artists. These exquisitely designed books, with their magnificent words and glorious pictures, are a pleasure to read - and re-read. The classics have never looked so good!

The famous tale of Don Quixote, an elderly Spanish gentleman, who reads one too many chivalric romances, and decides to become a knight errant, accompanied by his faithful 'squire' Sancho Panza. He sets off on his travels through sixteenth-century Spain to right wrongs and rescue damsels in distress but his adventures - such as the famous incident in which he mistakes windmills for giants and attacks them - are both comic and romantic. In the end he returns to his village, a dying man who still believes in heroes and is a hero himself.

Genres: Classics, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Childrens

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wrote a longer review but my app crashed, so quickly:

-This was my first exposure to Don Quixote.

-The art is appropriately whispy and fantastical.

-A lot of women falling in love with men but the love is forbidden or there is a misunderstanding, but perhaps that’s the point of satirizing Arthurian chivalry.

-The book made me want to pick up a full translation, as the stories do tend to fly by pretty quickly in this edition, and I’ve read it doesn’t capture enough of the sadness of the story, and if there’s one thing I love in my books, it’s sadness.

Check it out for the art. ✅

[Pollyor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This retelling is hilarious! One of the stories had me laughing so hard I thought I would wake up the whole house. Sancho is now my favorite sidekick of all time.

[Sarah Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author Martin Jenkins turns this classic novel into a rollicking road trip with plenty of rowdy humor, supported by the comical illustrations of Chris Riddell. Set in 16th century Spain, an aging country gentleman becomes so obsessed while reading novels of chivalric knights that he believes he is actually a knight errant. Convincing the local peasant Sancho Panza to accompany him as a squire, Don Quixote wanders throughout the country, imagining every person and situation he encounters to be part of his personal quest. Some fight him, while others indulge his insane ways, resulting in a series of wacky adventures including lost ones reunited, love being kindled, and Sancho earning a number of beatings. With the bathroom humor, the author’s skillful handling of bawdier scenes, and the overall feel of a buddy movie, this book seems perfect for older elementary and middle school students, particularly boys. But there are situations and references in the text that need historical context to be fully enjoyed and unfortunately no explanatory notes have been included. In contrast, the book’s physical size and illustrations may keep away teen readers who would find it enjoyable. Even with the detractions, this is a recommended purchase for schools, where it might make a good read aloud, and public libraries, for those young patrons assigned to read a classic.

[Joanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have not read the original Don Quixote in completion. In college I read portions of it (that I could vaguely recall as I read this one), but that is it. I still would like to read the complete original, but I wanted to clarify this before getting into my review of this retelling.

This genre of tongue-in-cheek teasing of just about everyone with absurd situations and people will always find a fan in me. No one is left unscathed even though the heart of all the jokes and satire is Don Quixote. And like any good writing in this genre, within the jokes and callings-out there are nuggets of wisdom and truth.

I read the majority of this while on a vacation in Virginia in which I had a lot of travel time--trains, buses, waiting for trains and buses--and although the weight of the tome was not well-suited for traveling, the story was just what I needed when my bus was delayed for four hours or I was trying to stay awake on a late night train.

[Ann Straight · Rating 4 out of 5]

Retelling of the classic. This book is exceptionally illustrated by Chris Riddell. Martin Jenkins gets the gist of the story but losses the beauty of the language in the retelling. It is aimed at middle school or casual high school readers I think. Definitely simplified.

Lots of translations and retellings to choose from. Plenty of commentary available as well. Art and knick knacks available. Written in the same era as Shakespeare but Miguel de Cervantes, the original author, was Spanish.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really beautiful edition; I love Chris Riddell's art, and it perfectly suited the story. I didn't realize quite how ridiculous the original story was. Martin Jenkins' translation and adaptation stays true to the original in plot and tone, while making the language much more accessible and understandable for the modern young reader. I certainly laughed out loud many times. Highly recommend this version if you just want to know the story without having to slog through the original.

[Elise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful illustrations. We are reading this aloud for bedtime reading and it is broken into nice-sized chapters. The titles of the chapters are as humorous as the story. I have not read Don Quixote before, so I cannot make a comparison, but this is a great book for a young reader to get a taste of the story and characters.

[Lupine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have tried to read Don Quixote a million different times and have never been able to get through it. With this edition, however, I was able to get the gist of this classic story of Don Quixote. Beautifully illustrated would be good for older elementary school kids up to adults.

[Zahirah · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great version of a classic tome. Jenkins' narrative is so engaging complemented by Riddell's delightful drawings. I think Riddell should illustrate all the classic works

[Cori Cooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so silly. Who doesn't love an old man who has read so many stories of chivilary he begins to imagine himself a knight? I did feel a bit sorry for Sancho ...

[Anne Herbison · Rating 4 out of 5]

The oversize, illustrated edition I found in the library is a very entertaining way to approach this classic. The illustrations are by the wonderful Chris Riddell.

[Duprée Bigum · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don Quijote er for mig en svær bog at anmelde. Dens betydning for moderne litteratur og tidløse humor gør den helt sikkert til noget særligt, men personligt havde jeg meget svært ved at komme igennem den.
Efter min mening er den simpelthen ALT for lang og selve grundhistorien ikke særlig dyb og tilfredstillende.

Ifølge visse kilder har den status som “det bedste værk, der nogensinde er skrevet”, og jeg er sikker på, at hvis jeg var i stand til at læse den på originalsproget, ville den være noget mere interessant, men ak.

Humoren føles overraskende tidssvarende, hvilket helt klart bidrager til dens udødelighed, og især karakteren Sancho Panza fandt jeg meget underholdende og interessant.

Men min konklusion er: Bogen ER betydningsfuld, humoren udødelig, men underholdende… Nej, ikke efter min smag.

[Alissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent adaptation that has certainly gotten me curious about the full-length version.

[Rosy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Per
Fection
Can't get enough of Chris Riddell's paintings

[Griffin Wold · Rating 3 out of 5]

The artwork was cute and this style of adaptation is a good way to introduce people, especially kids, to the classic work that is Don Quixote.

[Julee T · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the funniest book ever written and the world's most influential book, it was a bit dry, ironic yes! Still it does remind us to not take life too seriously and to chase our dreams if only for the entertainment of adventure. I think this copy is abridged so I'll have to track down another copy for comparison- see if serious hilarity was sacrificed! Chris Riddell's illustrations are amazing! So if you have a teen reluctant reader and you want an illustrated text, it's worth the read. If you have ever wondered where that 'all knowing talking head from Dr Who comes from, wonder no more! Oh and the misnomer "the books she read had addled her brain" correction: wrong gender!

[Alexandra]

This is not the version I am reading; my copy is quite old and I don't think it appears in the list!

This is not a book I would choose to be reading right now. However, a friend came over a few weeks ago and saw my very old copy on to TBR shelf, and commented that he was planning on reading it himself. This morning, he ambushed me: asked what I was reading, and when I said I'd just finished a book... well, it was on for young and old. So it the Don and Cervantes for me.

Um, not sure how far I will get, tbh.

[Cassidy Davies · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was funny and amusing and it was also a bit serious but you can still get a good laugh no matter how much you read it. I have given it 4 stars due to its humour and adventure tale but sadly it didn't reach 5 to me personally. I think the book personally dragged on a bit but again it had good dialogue and funny parts.

[Edy Gies · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this version of the classic, Don Quixote. The story was absolutely enchanting and adorable and the illustrations were amazing! I enjoyed the illustrations as much as I enjoyed the story! I would happily recommend my students read this as I think they would find it an engaging and relaxing read.

[Annie Feighery]

Another Riddell illustrated book. This is going to be the vacation read with the children for July.

[Ann]

Perhaps I should try a translation of the original. The art in this book is great, though.

[Ginny Churchill · Rating 5 out of 5]

THis book is amazing. Retold perfectly

[Deana Pittman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this version...the illustrations and the way the stories are broken up into smaller sections will make it much more readable for my students!

[Kass · Rating 5 out of 5]

As Retold By Martin Jenkins: This version of Don Quixote was wonderful! It's a bit cleaned up so it's easy to read, has some more modern idioms, and the illustrations are wonderful!

[Paddi]

Liked this version a lot. But, the end umh, I am not so sure I liked that.

[Jesse Freedom · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a crazy old man, accompanied by his stupid friend, who goes around pretending to be a knight. It's better then it sounds.

[Karin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful childhood introduction to the classic, Don Quixote.

[Serena Di Cugno · Rating 2 out of 5]

Le illustrazioni accompagnano la lettura di questo classico, che riporta la storia del "pazzo" don Chisciotte e del suo fedele scudiero Sancho Panza (il personaggio che ho amato di più!)..

[Bea Elwood · Rating 2 out of 5]

The artwork is what caught my eye but normally I try not to read condensed novels. Sadly, the writing is very poor and in the end I'm donating the book despite the lovely illustrations.

[Geoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very amusing, love the illustrations.