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The Song of Robin Hood
Anne Malcolmson, Grace Castagnetta, and Caldecott medalist Virginia Lee Burton joined forces in 1947 to produce the definitive edition of The Song of Robin Hood. Their triumphant achievement was one of the most distinctive presentations of the legend ever published, and it received a Caldecott Honor Medal in 1948.
Through meticulous research and unfailing perseverance, Anne Malcolmson rediscovered fifteen of the original ballads of Robin Hood; Grace Castagnetta adapted them to modern musical notation. Virginia Lee Burton spent three years on drawings to accompany the songs, ultimately producing a work of art filled with exquisite detail and worthy of comparison to the greatest illuminated manuscripts of the medieval era.
The text, the music, and the illustrations combine to form a harmonious and timeless work of art. There is no better way to introduce young readers to the legend of Robin Hood, or to renew a love of the tale in the hearts of those who already know the classic story. Lovingly revived and beautifully reissued, The Song of Robin Hood stands as one of the truly stunning books of our time.
Through meticulous research and unfailing perseverance, Anne Malcolmson rediscovered fifteen of the original ballads of Robin Hood; Grace Castagnetta adapted them to modern musical notation. Virginia Lee Burton spent three years on drawings to accompany the songs, ultimately producing a work of art filled with exquisite detail and worthy of comparison to the greatest illuminated manuscripts of the medieval era.
The text, the music, and the illustrations combine to form a harmonious and timeless work of art. There is no better way to introduce young readers to the legend of Robin Hood, or to renew a love of the tale in the hearts of those who already know the classic story. Lovingly revived and beautifully reissued, The Song of Robin Hood stands as one of the truly stunning books of our time.
128 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1947
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
July 24, 2018
This book is more for adults who enjoy reading ancient English texts. This is not a children's book. It took over an hour to read and kids could have a problem understanding the old English the book uses. The Shakespeare lover in me really enjoys this.
Anne Malcolmson found the original texts from several songs and stories and she corrected the spelling and basically left it how it was. In these old Bard lines, originally Robin Hood was not a nobleman. He also fights alot and gets hurt alot. Still, most of Robin Hood is here. As an adult I find all the historical context and words fascinating and I love this new tale of Robin Hood. It is somewhat different than what I have known.
I love the art of the book that Virginia Lee Burton has done. It is all black and white and goes well with the text. It felt so old English.
I did not read this to the kids as they would never have made it through or wanted too. I don't think this was meant for kids, this is meant for scholars.
There is also a page with a song for each little stanza. They are old English ballads and tunes. It is a fun little addition to the book.
I see that the Caldecott back in the 40s was very much experimental which makes for interesting stories and pushing the genre forward.
Anne Malcolmson found the original texts from several songs and stories and she corrected the spelling and basically left it how it was. In these old Bard lines, originally Robin Hood was not a nobleman. He also fights alot and gets hurt alot. Still, most of Robin Hood is here. As an adult I find all the historical context and words fascinating and I love this new tale of Robin Hood. It is somewhat different than what I have known.
I love the art of the book that Virginia Lee Burton has done. It is all black and white and goes well with the text. It felt so old English.
I did not read this to the kids as they would never have made it through or wanted too. I don't think this was meant for kids, this is meant for scholars.
There is also a page with a song for each little stanza. They are old English ballads and tunes. It is a fun little addition to the book.
I see that the Caldecott back in the 40s was very much experimental which makes for interesting stories and pushing the genre forward.
March 13, 2012
The illustrations are amazing and detailed and deserve 5 stars on their own.
The text is adapted, but stays true to the feel of the original ballads. While historically very interesting, it is quite long and probably not one kids would choose to read on their own.
My Mother-in-Law playing and singing a page from the book: http://youtu.be/W-puCKh6bP4
The text is adapted, but stays true to the feel of the original ballads. While historically very interesting, it is quite long and probably not one kids would choose to read on their own.
My Mother-in-Law playing and singing a page from the book: http://youtu.be/W-puCKh6bP4
December 29, 2017
• 1948 Caldecott Honor Book •
This is a really hard book to rate. I think the art is amazing. It’s so detailed and luxuriant and all-around amazing. The text is good, but I think you’d have to be pretty into Robin Hood to enjoy it. Which I’m not. I’m having a hard time believing this is a Caldecott book because it seems more targeted towards adults. It’s a neat book and seems really well researched though.
I love that Malcolmson and Burton both have introductions in the book which is somewhat rare (and even more rare in the 1940s). One thing I found fascinating was Burton wrote that she wanted to go to England to study plant life “but it was impossible for me to go there to study it directly.” I’m assuming it was because she was illustrating this book at the tail end of World War II, which was interesting.
This is a great book for die-hard Robin Hood fans, but it just wasn’t for me.
Materials used: unlisted
Typeface used: unlisted
This is a really hard book to rate. I think the art is amazing. It’s so detailed and luxuriant and all-around amazing. The text is good, but I think you’d have to be pretty into Robin Hood to enjoy it. Which I’m not. I’m having a hard time believing this is a Caldecott book because it seems more targeted towards adults. It’s a neat book and seems really well researched though.
I love that Malcolmson and Burton both have introductions in the book which is somewhat rare (and even more rare in the 1940s). One thing I found fascinating was Burton wrote that she wanted to go to England to study plant life “but it was impossible for me to go there to study it directly.” I’m assuming it was because she was illustrating this book at the tail end of World War II, which was interesting.
This is a great book for die-hard Robin Hood fans, but it just wasn’t for me.
Materials used: unlisted
Typeface used: unlisted
August 4, 2014
1948 Caldecott Honor; Favorite Illustration: too hard to choose - they were all amazing!
This collection of ballads detailing the exploits of Robin Hood and accompanied by traditional English tunes from the time frame was pretty awesome. I don't really feel that it was a children's book, though. Definitely much more suited for young adult and adult readers.
This collection of ballads detailing the exploits of Robin Hood and accompanied by traditional English tunes from the time frame was pretty awesome. I don't really feel that it was a children's book, though. Definitely much more suited for young adult and adult readers.
April 5, 2015
Played one song from the book on the keyboard with the kids and ended up reading (not singing) most of the lyrics. Wasn't terribly impressed with the illustrations - they were ok.
December 18, 2018
One of the most beautifully illustrated books I’ve ever seen. It was fascinating to read these ballads and compare them with more modern Robin Hood stories. Rob was kind of a jerk, huh?
November 18, 2015
This book was an unexpected delight. I "read" this book as part of my attempt to read everything Virginia Lee Burton has written/illustrated. However, I was not expecting to receive a well researched collection of the ballads sung of the tales of Robin Hood. This includes 15 of the original ballads adapted to modern musical notation with gorgeous illustrations.
The book begins with an introduction by Anne Malcolmson. In this introduction she explains how this book came to be. The hours of research, the painstaking adaption of old tunes into modern musical notation where possible… It was definitely a labor of love. Followed by Malcomsom's notes is a letter by Burton herself. Burton spent three years illustrating these pages. She chose a species of plant for each ballad to help emphasize the similarities and differences these ballads all have. Her attention to detail is breathtaking. I think this might only be second to her work Life Story in attention to detail.
All of this is fascinating and completely captured me. I spent a few hours plucking at my keyboard at home learning the melodies and humming the ballads. That said, this isn't the sort of book you should expect anyone to read straight through. It took me many weeks of returning to this book to get through it all. The ballads are dense and filled with archaic words (there is a dictionary in the back!).
I would love to own a copy of this book, but it wasn't what I was expecting when I opened it the first time. Should I have better expectations, my rating would probably be higher. Let's see what happens when I get my own piano and my own copy of the text!
The book begins with an introduction by Anne Malcolmson. In this introduction she explains how this book came to be. The hours of research, the painstaking adaption of old tunes into modern musical notation where possible… It was definitely a labor of love. Followed by Malcomsom's notes is a letter by Burton herself. Burton spent three years illustrating these pages. She chose a species of plant for each ballad to help emphasize the similarities and differences these ballads all have. Her attention to detail is breathtaking. I think this might only be second to her work Life Story in attention to detail.
All of this is fascinating and completely captured me. I spent a few hours plucking at my keyboard at home learning the melodies and humming the ballads. That said, this isn't the sort of book you should expect anyone to read straight through. It took me many weeks of returning to this book to get through it all. The ballads are dense and filled with archaic words (there is a dictionary in the back!).
I would love to own a copy of this book, but it wasn't what I was expecting when I opened it the first time. Should I have better expectations, my rating would probably be higher. Let's see what happens when I get my own piano and my own copy of the text!
May 29, 2016
This is a collection of old English ballads telling the story of Robin Hood. It features the words and music. It also features illustrations with each of the fifteen ballads.
I learned from the introduction by the editor that she spent hours researching, selecting and putting together these old ballads. She mentions that they were originally sung. It would have been nice to experience them that way instead of reading them. However, I did find a brief video someone posted to Goodreads of their relative singing a part of one of the ballads and playing the music on the piano and this gave me an idea of what they sound like. It was very beautiful. Despite not being able to hear the stories told, it was great to read some of the original stories Robin Hood was first featured as a character. It helped me understand his place in folklore.
The other part of this collection that makes it shine are the illustrations by Virginia Lee Burton. In her introduction, she mentions that each one features flora or fauna found in England around the time of Robin Hood, which she researched in great detail. This as very cool. The resulting illustrations are very detailed and absolutely beautiful. They make the stories come alive.
This is a great collection and should not be missed by folklore or music enthusiasts. The text and illustrations really compliment each other and I enjoyed them together. The only thing I would say against it is that it is said to be for children, but as it is quite long, detailed and had rather difficult language, I'm not sure kids would enjoy it. However, I sure did.
I learned from the introduction by the editor that she spent hours researching, selecting and putting together these old ballads. She mentions that they were originally sung. It would have been nice to experience them that way instead of reading them. However, I did find a brief video someone posted to Goodreads of their relative singing a part of one of the ballads and playing the music on the piano and this gave me an idea of what they sound like. It was very beautiful. Despite not being able to hear the stories told, it was great to read some of the original stories Robin Hood was first featured as a character. It helped me understand his place in folklore.
The other part of this collection that makes it shine are the illustrations by Virginia Lee Burton. In her introduction, she mentions that each one features flora or fauna found in England around the time of Robin Hood, which she researched in great detail. This as very cool. The resulting illustrations are very detailed and absolutely beautiful. They make the stories come alive.
This is a great collection and should not be missed by folklore or music enthusiasts. The text and illustrations really compliment each other and I enjoyed them together. The only thing I would say against it is that it is said to be for children, but as it is quite long, detailed and had rather difficult language, I'm not sure kids would enjoy it. However, I sure did.
June 17, 2013
There's very little I DIDN'T like about this book.
It's heavily illustrated with intricate drawings. There's a full page frontispiece for each ballad and each verse gets its own minuscule illustration and there's more half and full page illustrations scattered here and there.
There's sheet music included with the book, so if you have any sort of musical training, you can get an idea as to the tune... Sadly, I have no clue how to read any of it.
The text of the ballads themselves is a bit dense - especially for the intended audience of children. It sticks fairly close to the original phrasing (or at least, it seems so to me... I admit I haven't read much of the original ballads) and the odd non-modern word creeps up every now and again.
It is a good collection for those who want a taste of the original Robin Hood ballads but don't want to wade through the Middle English.
It's heavily illustrated with intricate drawings. There's a full page frontispiece for each ballad and each verse gets its own minuscule illustration and there's more half and full page illustrations scattered here and there.
There's sheet music included with the book, so if you have any sort of musical training, you can get an idea as to the tune... Sadly, I have no clue how to read any of it.
The text of the ballads themselves is a bit dense - especially for the intended audience of children. It sticks fairly close to the original phrasing (or at least, it seems so to me... I admit I haven't read much of the original ballads) and the odd non-modern word creeps up every now and again.
It is a good collection for those who want a taste of the original Robin Hood ballads but don't want to wade through the Middle English.
December 18, 2013
This book, much like the Caldecott Honor winning "Sing in Praise: A Collection of the Best Loved Hymns" edited by Marjorie Torrey and illustrated by Opal Wheeler, does not have an actual story per se but is a collection of fifteen songs set to music with lyrics about Robin Hood, some taken from old English tunes and others adapted from American traditional music. It won a 1948 Caldecott Honor. The really cool part of the book were the illustrations done by Virginia Lee Burton, who I’ve gotten to know rather well while doing the Caldecott Challenge as several of her books were award honor winners. She used pen, ink and scratchboard to create these incredibly detailed and predominantly tiny drawings of Robin Hood, his Merry Men and the other characters featured in the songs. Recommended for ages 7-10, 3 stars.
March 11, 2013
Much of each page in The Song of Robin Hoodis populated with stunning and detailed illustrations (sometimes reminiscent of Manfred Escher without the feel of an illusion, many of them very small), but that still leaves plenty of room for the many long ballads. The drawings, the use of British flora, long-unused terms, and the faithfulness to older versions of the Robin Hood myth makes this a wonderful compilation. This is a long volume with accompanying musical score; even if not sung (I didn't), it should still be read aloud for the most enjoyable experience. While it is a great resource, its length and visual and narrative detail take it beyond young listeners or readers. (This is my second to last of the Caldecott medalists and Honorees.)
June 30, 2014
These are beautiful, detailed and intricate pen and ink drawings, with full page illustrations, and small panels next to the stanzas of each of the songs; each of which shows the action of that stanza. In the preface of the book, the selector/editor explains how she chose the ballads; and then Virginia Burton describes how she came to produce her illustrations. She also lists the various plants featured in each ballad. These are some of the most impressive illustrations of any Caldecott honor book.
October 4, 2017
All I know about Robin Hood comes from movies, so this book was a real treat for me. I loved the language of the songs, and appreciated that the tunes were also included. The illustrations, though tiny in many places, really helped contextualize the various episodes from Robin Hood's life. Kids with a Robin Hood obsession will eat this book up, and I think it's also a great gift for students of Early Modern English. This is one of the few books from this challenge that I don't even really consider a children's book. This book is as much for adults as for kids.
May 30, 2012
Hm. I can't imagine a child choosing to read this on his/her own, unless they were quite interested in Robin Hood and a rather advanced reader. But the detailed illustrations were glorious, and gave the book an illuminated manuscript feel. I must admit, I didn't read every line of text - it would have taken me hours and I wouldn't have enjoyed much of it - but I did skim the whole thing.
August 1, 2013
Notes:
although magnificent in its presentation of the content I'm just not sure how this is considered a kids book; maybe I will revisit it after my son reads RH for himself in a few years (as a teen)
although magnificent in its presentation of the content I'm just not sure how this is considered a kids book; maybe I will revisit it after my son reads RH for himself in a few years (as a teen)
July 9, 2008
I just wish I could read music better. Beautiful illustrations!
September 8, 2008
Spectacular black and white illustration. Virgina Lee Burton shows her true skill and vision in these beautiful images.
May 15, 2011
from ballads of Robin Hood as early as the 13th and 14th centuries; has melody and lists stanzas.
Caldecott honor
Caldecott honor
February 2, 2012
Based solely on the illustrations, I would give it 5 starts; I was blown away by the technique and detail. But the text is, well, dense.
June 26, 2013
The illustrations are beautiful. The text is too small and rather dense for a children's book - especially as there are musical scores included.
June 12, 2013
Virginia Lee Burton's pen & ink and scratchboard illustrations - both the miniatures and the full-page - are beyond exquisite; like music in picture form.
June 22, 2013
1948 Caldecott Honor
I appreciate the details in, and the time it must have taken, these illustrations, but other than that I didn't care for this honor.
I appreciate the details in, and the time it must have taken, these illustrations, but other than that I didn't care for this honor.
October 24, 2015
6 stars
this is a text book on illustration. study this even if you are already an artist, you'll learn new and better technique and style.
the poetry is epic writing!
this is a text book on illustration. study this even if you are already an artist, you'll learn new and better technique and style.
the poetry is epic writing!
April 14, 2017
Beautiful illustrations, I had fun playing the music on my flute, and the lyrics were jolly. I loved everything about the book.
March 4, 2015
I wouldn't have picked this for the Caldecott as it's a bit dry for children, but I liked the tiny drawings for each verse of the songs. Would recommend for Robin Hood fans.
May 15, 2017
Well-executed, but hard to tell who the audience is supposed to be.
November 24, 2020
It’s pretty, but it’s not a kids’ book.
This review originally published at https://www.drttmk.com/books/song-rob....
This is not a children's book. It is a collection of old poetry which was not in any way aimed at children originally. It is basically an attempt by the writers to get a really accurate version of a whole bunch of ballads of Robin Hood that were written many years before and to translate them into modern English. As the inner flap says, it is a "work of art." But good grief, it's not for kids. I didn't end up reading very much of it, more skimming it, because it is so dense. This is for people who are researching Robin Hood or huge fans of the legend. I don't believe that even in 1947 when this was published, that people were reading to their kids things like, "Nay, I have no more of my fellows in store,/Or any that I do need./But I have a staff of another oak graff/I know it will do the deed." Nobody talked like that even in the 40s.
It's very artistic. It's very well done, I mean I definitely give it that. But it's not light reading. This is not the kind of thing that kids would be begging their parents to read them again and again. I don't even believe that that was the case in the 1940s. It's a very interesting scholarly work. The illustrations are lovely-- that's of course what the caldecott is mostly about, illustrations-- but it's really not for kids. I don't understand how on earth this was aimed at kids. Maybe it's just that Robin Hood is a legend, kind of fantasy-like, and that's just automatically for kids? Or maybe because it was illustrated by Virginia Lee Burton, the famous children's illustrator? But there's a musical score to this. There's all kinds of stuff. If I was at all interested in Robin Hood beyond just passing knowledge of the story, maybe it would be of interest.
Also of note is that the only contributor who receives a blurb on the back flap of the book is Virginia Lee Burton. It's as if the publisher didn't care about the other two women who spent years researching this. Burton apparently spent 3 years illustrating this, but her drawings wouldn't have had anything to accompany without Malcomson's and Castagnetta's work. It would take a fully literate adult days to get through this book. There are 18 ballads in the book, and I'd have to estimate that each one would take a good day to read to a child, with the way that they tried to keep the English as true to the original as possible. The myth and legend were so important to these three creators, that there's an entire page written by Burton about which plant she decided to use to illustrate each ballad and why she chose that particular flower. Everybody who made this put so much thought into it, and it's a beautiful book. But the 115 page book is enormous, and it shouldn't be marketed as a children's book. It's really a scholarly work.
Message: It's important to preserve cultural heritage such as Robin Hood.
This review originally published at https://www.drttmk.com/books/song-rob....
This is not a children's book. It is a collection of old poetry which was not in any way aimed at children originally. It is basically an attempt by the writers to get a really accurate version of a whole bunch of ballads of Robin Hood that were written many years before and to translate them into modern English. As the inner flap says, it is a "work of art." But good grief, it's not for kids. I didn't end up reading very much of it, more skimming it, because it is so dense. This is for people who are researching Robin Hood or huge fans of the legend. I don't believe that even in 1947 when this was published, that people were reading to their kids things like, "Nay, I have no more of my fellows in store,/Or any that I do need./But I have a staff of another oak graff/I know it will do the deed." Nobody talked like that even in the 40s.
It's very artistic. It's very well done, I mean I definitely give it that. But it's not light reading. This is not the kind of thing that kids would be begging their parents to read them again and again. I don't even believe that that was the case in the 1940s. It's a very interesting scholarly work. The illustrations are lovely-- that's of course what the caldecott is mostly about, illustrations-- but it's really not for kids. I don't understand how on earth this was aimed at kids. Maybe it's just that Robin Hood is a legend, kind of fantasy-like, and that's just automatically for kids? Or maybe because it was illustrated by Virginia Lee Burton, the famous children's illustrator? But there's a musical score to this. There's all kinds of stuff. If I was at all interested in Robin Hood beyond just passing knowledge of the story, maybe it would be of interest.
Also of note is that the only contributor who receives a blurb on the back flap of the book is Virginia Lee Burton. It's as if the publisher didn't care about the other two women who spent years researching this. Burton apparently spent 3 years illustrating this, but her drawings wouldn't have had anything to accompany without Malcomson's and Castagnetta's work. It would take a fully literate adult days to get through this book. There are 18 ballads in the book, and I'd have to estimate that each one would take a good day to read to a child, with the way that they tried to keep the English as true to the original as possible. The myth and legend were so important to these three creators, that there's an entire page written by Burton about which plant she decided to use to illustrate each ballad and why she chose that particular flower. Everybody who made this put so much thought into it, and it's a beautiful book. But the 115 page book is enormous, and it shouldn't be marketed as a children's book. It's really a scholarly work.
Message: It's important to preserve cultural heritage such as Robin Hood.
September 23, 2025
First and foremost, the illustrations by Virginia Lee Burton are unbelievable in their design, detail, execution, and profusion. I could look at only the pictures and never read the tales and still be thoroughly satisfied. The Robin Hood tales are old folk songs, and as such sometimes suffer a bit from repetition, stock phrases, and over-simplicity, but as a whole are enjoyable. As a musician I was able to read the music and thus sing the songs, which is how they are meant to be experienced. There was some good information about the research that went into putting this book together, and an extensive glossary to clarify some words not typically used in these modern times. I'm glad I stumbled across this! It is definitely one to own rather than borrow.
February 4, 2025
1948 Caldecott Honor. This one was hefty. Just as the book's title suggests, it is full of music and verse retelling the adventures of Robin Hood. Didn't feel very kid-friendly, though. Admittedly, I didn't read all of it, but I did pore over all of the illustrations, which were entertaining for sure. But this just wasn't my kind of book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews