Usborne Illustrated Stories from Dickens

by Mary Sebag-Montefiore (Adapted by), Charles Dickens (Original author), Barry Ablett (Illustrator)

Five of Dicken's best-loved stories--Oliver Twist, Bleak House, Great Expectations, A Tale of Two Cities and David Copperfield--are wonderfully retold for easy reading.

Genres: Classics, Childrens, Literature, Picture Books, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Short Stories

351 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Mary Sebag-Montefiore is an author of children's books and often adapts adult classics for children. She has rewritten everything from David Copperfield, Wuthering Heights and War and Peace. She is associated with Usborne.

Reviews

[حياة الياقوت]

It was a really good read. I recommend it to anyone who want to have a feel of Dicken's major works and does not have the time to read his lengthy works.

Don't be fooled by the fact that it is illustrated and think it is for children, it is not necessarily so. Actually the language is rich in vocabulary, so very young readers will need a dictionary. Many of Dickens protagonists are children, and that is a plus for younger readers.

The only issue I faced was that reading the stories back to back made the details mix up. It would be a good idea to read a story, read some other book, and read another one and so on.

[Amy]

It's a highly abridged children's version of 900 pages stories. And when you think about it like that it's a great book. I read it and feel like I could talk intelligently on the plots of all the stories. It doesn't have the depth of the actual stories but that's because they are only 2% as long as the real stories.

[Natalie Nimmers]

I’ve really loved the illustrated works from usborne and this was no different! Although the stories were heavy at times, it prompted great conversations with the kids. Highly recommend!

[Jenni Anggita]

Dongeng-dongeng Dickens bukan sekadar kisah pengantar tidur anak. Dongeng-dongengnya bukan hanya untuk anak-anak, melainkan juga untuk mereka yang dewasa.

Buku ini berisi empat cerita yang luar biasa. Usai membaca, saya berusaha mengambil jarak dan melepaskan diri dari kisah hidup Dickens sendiri.

Bagi saya, Dikens dan dongeng-dongengnya merepresentasikan keadaan sosial ekonomi pada zamannya. Lebih dari itu, sangat terasa pola cerita yang berusaha dibangunnya, dengan teknik segitiga Gustaff.

Selanjutnya, sampailah saya pada kesimpulan bahwa Dickens dan kisah-kisahnya mau mengatakan bahwa sesulit apa pun hidup mencabikmu, selalu ada harapan dan masa depan indah di hadapanmu. Harapan, perjuangan, pantang menyerah, semangat itulah yang hendak disampaikan Dickens.

Tentu saja, tak bisa kita mungkiri bahwa kisah-kisahnya berasal dari pengalamannya sendiri. Kehidupan kecilnya yang miskin sampai akhirnya ia berhasil sukses sebagai seorang penulis. Semua itu tertuang dalam cerita "David Coferfield". Namun, jika harus memilih, saya jatuh cinta pada kisah berjudul "Tales of Two Cities".

"Tales of Two Cities" berkisah tentang seorang lelaki yang mengorbankan hidupnya menggantikan hukuman mati suami dari seorang perempuan yang sangat dicintainya.

Rasanya klise.... Tapi entahlah, barangkali sekarang ini terlalu banyak hal rumit yang telah saya telan sehingga saya lupa pada hal-hal sederhana yang mendasar. Lalu, ketika dihadapkan pada cerita seperti itu, saya pun dapat dengan mudahnya terhanyut pada arus si penulis.

Bravo Dickens!

[Jeremy]

WORLD comments here.

[adele]

this is amazing

[Linda♥]

Seringkali kalo aku ke Gramed, ngintipin rak buku dongeng hardcover sejenis ini. Mupeng beraaat! Sayang banget dompetku berat gara2 duit receh doang, sedangkan harga buku ini mahal.. di atas seratus. Jadi aku cuman bisa gigit jari pas lihat buku2 cantik ini berjajar di rak dengan santainya tanpa mengerti kebokekanku. :')))

Tapih.. tadi pas jalan ke Gramed, ternyata sekumpulan buku ini lagi diskon gaeeeees.. sampe 60an perseeeeen!!! Harganya jadi lebih murah daripada buku metropop yg gak tebel2 amat. Duh, langsung kuambil lah meski dalam hati nangis juga kenapa nih buku didiskon saat lagi seret. ;_;

So I chose Dickens instead of Grimm's. Ntar aja deh yg Grimm, pas ke Gramed lagi. Semoga masih didiskon. ;_;

Okay jadi skrg udah punya retelling version dari lima buku Dickens yg paling keren. Pertanyaannya, bagusnya aku baca versi asli atau versi retelling yg udah ada ilustrasi unyu ini?

*** UPDATE: AFTER READING THE BOOK ***

BAGUS BANGEEET! Never expected I'd love Dickens'. Favoritku di sini A Tale of Two Cities (suka banget sama Sidney) dan Bleak House. Ilustrasinya juga cantik banget!

Ini bukan promosi tapi beneran buku yg berisi kumpulan kisah Dickens ini lebih dari layak untuk dikoleksi! ♡

[Ruth]

I just finished a long, slow co-read with Podling 5 (age 7). While the adaption takes great pains to simplify things, the multiple plotlines were sometimes difficult for her to follow (Bleak House and A Tale of Two Cities in particular). That being said, with a little help, she did really well. Naturally, the characters made a strong impression on her. While I enjoyed this read well enough, I'm now in the mood for the originals!

[Anna]

Read a few chapters to my five-year-old before bed. She is obsessed with these Dickens stories! She loved the illustrations, was scandalized at the twists and surprises, totally fell in love with Charles Darnay (she couldn’t be convinced that Sydney Carton was a hero of any kind), and asked me to start calling her Pip.

So yeah, I think this one’s worth the read.

[Riya Koya]

Illustrated Stories from Dickens was a deceptively quick read. It probably took about half an hour to read. It has lots of pictures and gives a nice bird's-eye-view of Dickens' stories. Reading the book gives you a good feel of the common themes Dickens utilizes through his stories. The end of the book offers a look into Dickens' life, explaining how many elements of his stories come from his real life. Overall, it was a satisfactory read, but not to be used as a substitute for the authentic novels.

[Sydney]

This book has always been special to me since childhood, not only because it was a gift from my grandparents but also because it served as a perfect introduction to Charles Dickens's stories. I love the illustrations by Barry Ablett, which made me want to reread the book constantly. Even though I have read several of Charles Dickens's books, I still refer to this one whenever I need some easy reading or clarification about something in his stories.

[Sarah]

Oliver Twist, Great Expectations, Bleak House, a Tale of Two Cities, David Copperfield and a brief biography of Dicken's life and works. The adaptations are well written, the pictures keep it engaging for younger kids, and the stories are woven by the master story-teller Dickens. Read it in one sitting in 5 hours. Loved it.

[Kristi]

Easy to read/understand for a children's level book. Contains shortened versions of Oliver Twist, Bleak House, Tale of Two Cities, Great Expectations, and David Copperfield.
It was a great introduction for kids to Charles Dickens, one of my favorite storytellers! I enjoyed reading this to them.

[Miyuke]

5 major Dicken’s works (love stories) assemble in one book with illustration. Of course this book is not for kids by the way. Great story but read it slow. It could be confusing if you try to finish reading it in one shot.

[Emily Nelson]

Loved this book :) Perfect introduction to a few of his well-loved books but easily digestible and with incredible illustrations. It even got me to tear up a little during A Tale of Two Cities. 5 stars 👌

[Ushasi Basu]

GORGEOUS. My daughter and I pore over each story every evening. Has brought us so much joy (and tears too, because...Dickens! )

[Elijah Caskey]

I really liked Great Expectations.

[Rachael Willis]

My 6 and 9 year old love these. I am glad to get them interested in the classics.

[Wena]

A beautiful publication!

[Talat]

Great synopsis of Dickens's classics

[Khairunisa Putri]

Dongeng Charles dickens yang berisi 5 cerita. Olivier Twist, Bleak House, Great Expectations, A tale of two Cities dan David Copperfield. Paling aku sukai cerita yang A tale of Two Cities.

[Andrea Zuvich]

Classic tales shortened and reworked for little ones. Excellent bedtime reading and very thought-provoking. Led to great discussions.

[Luthfia]

Omg i love it... I'm amazed with the illustrations. Loved this edition so much.

[Eleanor To]

It was good

[Derek]

Read the whole thing in one sitting. This is exactly the format I want Dickens in. I have no patience for his overly flowery style, but I loved the stories when they were boiled down to bare bones.

[Debbie]

You have got to love Dickens. And this fun book is a keeper. Filled with great Dickens classic stories, easy to read and follow. It was a delight to read.

[R2 Ireland]

Oliver Twist was by far the best.

[Katie Grimes]

book 2/4 of my childhood

[prachspeaks]

Despite being an abridged version, the beauty of the language and character backgrounds, though some not all, are well captured. If you think this is quick summaries of Dickens' works, well, it has much more to offer.

Lovely illustration. Colour tones and simple drawings go pretty well with the stories.

Note that the book is probably as heavy as the grim fate of many characters it portrays--- so heavy that the binding easily gets torn just by placing the book upright for some time.

[Naya Djunaedi]

https://www.sayanaia.com/2021/06/oliv...