It's been a number of years since I last read the Anglo-Saxon epic of Beowulf (I keep meaning to read the new Heaney translation, and compare it to some of the more traditional versions), but reading Ian Serraillier's retelling for younger readers has really reminded me of the power of this tale, and the beauty of the language used to tell it. At forty-eight pages, Serraillier's edition is brief enough for young readers, but still manages to cover the three main episodes in the hero Beowulf's story - the battle with Grendel, the battle with Grendel's mother, and the battle with the unnamed dragon, at the end of the hero's life.

Retold in contemporary narrative verse, but retaining much of the flavor of the original, Beowulf the Warrior pairs an engaging narrative with beautiful woodcut illustrations by Mark Severin. I don't know that very young children will really appreciate it, as it isn't a story-book, but older children, capable of reading on their own, and interested in heroic tales, will surely love it! I know I would have... ( )

My daughter and I recently began volume 2 of Susan Wise Bauer's The Story of the World homeschool history curriculum. This retelling of Beowulf was recommended in those materials, and I am so glad we picked it up. The verse is powerful but accessible to children, and the illustrations really add to the atmosphere of the stories.

My daughter's not much into battles and heroics (she prefers books about animals), but even she enjoyed this version of the Beowulf tales. She read it on her own and then encouraged me to read it on my own ("Mommy, you should really read this story!") and then aloud to her. The language is lyrical and moving and great fun to read aloud.

An example from the very beginning when Hrothgar greets Beowulf, who has traveled across the "whale-road" to help defend Hrothgar's people from the monster Grendel:

"...'Beowulf,
I knew you as a child, and who has not exulted
In your fame as a fighter? It is a triumph song
That ocean thunders to her farthest shore,
It is a whisper in the frailest sea-shell...'"

When I read the end of the last of the three tales/episodes (The Fire Dragon) to my daughter she said, "Mommy, I nearly cried at that last part."

I feel the same way. ( )

Set in 500 Denmark, the mighty and brave Beowolf defeats the evil Grendel and his mother. A classic rewritten for children.