Saint George and the
Dragon is a 1984 children’s book adapted from Edmund Spenser’s Faerie Queene by Margaret Hodges and
illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman. It received the Caldecott Medal for
illustration. Here, the princess Una recruits the Red Cross Knight to battle
the dragon that threatens her country.
This is a surprisingly wordy little book, although this is
in all likelihood by necessity given the level of faithfulness to the source
material (Hodges also includes a couple of lines directly from Spenser). Hodges
tells the story with ample description and impressive drama; while this helps
make it compelling, the book may be too advanced and too intense for small
children who are attracted by its short length and big, colorful pictures (there’s
also a not-insignificant amount of blood illustrated).
The unequivocal highlight of this book is Hyman’s art. She
has illuminated the pages, using the margins both to supplement the distinctly
English setting and for storytelling. Her illustrations are thoroughly
wonderful: her characters, faces, her use of color and shading, her sense of
setting, her inclusion of native English plants, her attention to detail – they’re
all fantastic, and every inch of every page is worthy of attention.
On the whole, Saint
George and the Dragon is a very satisfactory telling of the legend, and one
of the most gorgeous children’s books you’ll ever find.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
