Beowulf

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Lovers of superheroes and monsters, compassionate rulers and fearsome battles will find this retelling as enthralling as it is tragic. Blood, guts, destruction, bravery and all glory and honor to God Almighty, lumped into one little package! Beowulf knows he is putting his life in danger but is still willing to do what he has to do to save the people . If you were to read this out loud, you'll find that the words flow from your tongue smoothly, like in a poem.

Heroics, violence, faith, loyalty, morality, fatality, fantasy, humanity, cowardice, bravery and more all rolled up into the epic tales of Beowulf. To touch the lives of children, to witness their listening and reading silence, is reward enough in itself. The language in this version is way too flowery for me - I never knew there could be too many adjectives until I read this book. Supposedly because Old Norse literary tradition doesn't begin until the 12th century in Iceland and the Beowulf manuscript was produced between 975 and 1025.

The original 'Beowulf' poem, unbelievably only surviving via a single manuscript from the 10th Century, represents one of early England's most significant works and thus a piece of literary history contemporary young readers would benefit from discovering. According to Beowulf’s wishes, they burn their departed king’s body on a huge funeral pyre and then bury him with a massive treasure in a barrow overlooking the sea.

Beowulf's terrifying quest to destroy Grendel, the foul fiend, a hideous sea-hag and a monstrous firedragon is the oldest surviving epic in British literature. The language itself is a joy to read aloud and Morpugo captured the spirit of the tale of Beowulf beautifully and in a way that was appreciated by my wide range of listeners. So, yeah, I wouldn't dare to read the original translated poem and that's the reason why I chose this little one as a starting point. I pointed out some of the interesting history, and the interpolated Christianity which didn't fit the original story - and we waded through the gore. When Beowulf is an old man, however, a thief disturbs a barrow, or mound, where a great dragon lies guarding a horde of treasure.Years later a vicious dragon is awakened after someone does something really stupid, (*warning: never steal gold from a sleeping dragon) and Beowulf must save his own people from the dragon's venomous fire.

Although in essence Beowulf and the tales are considered legendary rather than fact, historians generally accept the characters described by the poem are based upon genuine 6th Century Scandinavian royalty and warriors - and the Anglo-Saxons and subsequent 8th/9th Century Viking raids upon Britain form part of the History National Curriculum at KS2; thus this book supports cross-curricular learning too. I know that everything happens for a reason and that this was integral to the plot of the story, but I still can't say I enjoyed it. Join our community to get personalised book suggestions, extracts straight to your inbox, 10% off RRPs, and to change children’s lives. I enjoyed reading something different and a different style of writing, it’s just not my favourite genre. This retelling captures the rhythm and drama of the original text but in a far more accessible way than some other tellings for children.Evidently, Grendel, the defeated foul foe, had a mother and now Beowulf's got to get rid of her as well.

Inspired by the challenge, Beowulf sails to Denmark with a small company of men, determined to defeat Grendel. D.--the tale of Beowulf, a Geat warrior who battles three evils so powerful that they destroy entire kingdoms. We read this as part of our history study of Medieval history this year - this was the most kid-friendly version of Beowulf I could find.More Hamburger icon An icon used to represent a menu that can be toggled by interacting with this icon. He has won numerous awards including those voted for by children themselves, the Blue Peter Book Award and the Children’s Book Award. The story itself revolves around the Scandinavian warrior known as Beowulf and his deeds against three monster antagonists: Grendel; Grendel's mother, a sea-hag; and, finally, the death-dragon of the deep. Planning has been adapted from several sources and fitted to the way in which English is taught in my school. What I liked about this book is the amazing descriptions that allows the reader to enter another world, it also includes alliteration that adds special effects to the book.