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Library | Call Number | Status |
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Searching... R.H. Stafford Library (Woodbury) | J 921 JOAN | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
A fifteenth-century peasant girl leads a French army to victory.A biography of the fifteenth-century peasant girl who led a French army to victory against the English, witnessed the crowning of King Charles VII, and was later burned at the stake for witchcraft. In the last two years several books have appeared about Joan of Arc. In this one, the story is kept simple with brief comments about the political situation in France and the long standing war with England. The dispirited and defeated French are rallied by Joan, The Lily Maid, who truly believes that God has placed her on earth to save her beloved country. She leads the troops to victory, attends King Charles VII's coronation, is captured by the British and tired as a witch, found guilty and burned at the stake. The text is accompanied by striking sepia tone illustration executed through two print making techniques--dry point and etching. They give the book more of a 15th century feel and offer plenty of detail and action for young readers. An author's note provides background on the Hundred Years War.
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 2-4 Recently, there have been several picture books and at least one novel about Joan of Arc; Hodges's retelling of the famous story can claim a niche as a first introduction to this most famous French heroine to a younger age group. The brief narrative includes only the most familiar incidents and anecdotes of Joan's life in skillfully structured language that is clear and understandable. Like the text, Rayevsky's illustrations are reduced to essentials. Delicately drawn etchings with subdued coloration, inspired by medieval manuscripts, are placed within bordered rectangles of varied size. They perfectly match the quiet, explanatory tone of the writing. The only alterations to the legendary story occur with the banner carried by Joan, said here to display the royal lilies of France (thus her name of the Lily Maid) rather than the sign of the Virgin Mary, and all mentions of angels and God are in the mind and heart of Joan or are attributed to the popular piety of the time. In contrast, Josephine Poole's Joan of Arc (Knopf, 1998) is the story of Joan's sainthood as an instrument of God. Diane Stanley's Joan of Arc (Morrow, 1998), written for upper grades, tells of Joan's role in French history. Hodges's emphasis is on Joan's faith and determined leadership, giving this narrative the underlying theme of a young woman's courage in a time of war and brutality. The story stands alone for its adventure and values, but an author's note gives background details of the 15th-century war in which Joan took part. Shirley Wilton, Ocean County College, Toms River, NJ (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Compared to Diane Stanley's intellectually challenging Joan of Arc or to Josephine Poole and Angela Barrett's ardent, spiritual Joan of Arc, Hodges's (Saint George and the Dragon) retelling of the saint's story seems flat. She sets out the main events of Joan's life, from Joan hearing the voice of Saint Michael to her stoic battles against the English to her trial and martyr's death. Hodges skips over much, relegating key informationÄincluding the charges at Joan's trialÄto an endnote. What makes this book worthwhile is Rayevsky's (Bernal & Florinda) suggestive, atmospheric art. Set into tall pages bordered by rules of scarlet, his printsÄdry-point and etchingsÄevoke medieval paintings and drawings. He stays away from the lavish style of such works as the Trs Riches Heures, and takes a relatively humble approach, more Bayeux Tapestry than ornate illuminated manuscript. His perspectives and modeling are generally flattened in a medieval style and his colors look muted or faded. While his compositions are not entirely consistent in their appropriation of medieval conventions, they successfully convey the flavor, and their restraint and modesty draw attention to Joan's identity as a peasant girl who became a hero of the people. Ages 6-10. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
A simple, matter-of-fact, yet graceful biography effectively presents the dramatic events in the life of the peasant girl who led the French army to victory against the English and later became a saint. Illustrations rendered in dry point and etching on buff-colored paper have an elegant simplicity well suited to the story's medieval setting. An author's note provides additional details about Joan's life. From HORN BOOK Spring 2000, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
While Josephine Poole and Angela Barrett's Joan of Arc (1998) focused on Joan as a saint, this spirited but reverent telling emphasizes Joan as a hero. In the little village of Domrmy, Joan did not learn to read or write, but she listened to stories of the saints' great deeds, worked with her parents, and aided the sick. When St. Michael the Archangel first appeared to her in a great light, she was 13; he told her she would save France, and the people supported her, outfitting her with horse and armor, and a white banner with the golden lilies that symbolized the French king. All the highlights of Joan's story are elegantly recounted here: her recognition of the king hidden in the crowd, her victory at Orlans, Charles's coronation, her capture, abandonment, trial, and death by burning at the stake. Rayevsky's drypoint and etching illustrations use the muted colors and sepia backgrounds of old prints; the simple, sinuous line and stylized faces are particularly evocative. His visual trope of a flowerlike flame in the fireplace of Joan's home is startlingly recreated in the final image of Joan at the stake. (Picture book/biography. 6-10)
