Saint George and
the Dragon
A.
Saint George and the Dragon is the
retelling of the myth of the trials of the titular George as he fights to save
a kingdom from the Dragon ravaging the countryside. Saint George is established as a heroic
character, empowered by the fairy folk around England but is a human knight. His confrontation with the dragon at the
bequest of Princess Una takes three days of intense fighting and recovery
before George finally sees his foe slain upon the fields of Una’s kingdom.
B.
Hodges, M., & Hyman, T. (1984). Saint
George and the Dragon. New York City:
Scholastic.
C.
The
book is a simpler but well done retelling of the classic legend. While a number of details are altered from
other versions of the story, such as the princess not being captured by the
dragon, there are enough variations to the tale that this is no issue. As a Caldecott winner, the illustrations are
beautiful and invoke Romantic depictions of the same characters and
scenes. The tone of the artwork tends
toward the serene, even in the action sequences, almost giving the illusion
that George is in complete control of the combat, despite the overwhelming
odds.
D.
“In
this Caldecot Medal-winning book, Hyman built up tones of colors by painting
thin layers of acrylic. These muted, expansive land-scapes with deep space
serve as quiet, serene backdrops for a dramatic tale of heroic bravery.” –Mary
Erbach
Erbach, M. M. (2006). Classic Caldecotts by Decade.
Book Links, 15(6), 16-20.
E.
For
this book, I would ask the kids to design a coat of arms for themselves. Each could depict a quest or famous
undertaking and be used as a way for them to represent what they care about or
defend. Pre-cut paper in the shape of a
shield would be ideal, but beyond that, only standard coloring supplies would
be necessary. I might also recommend
having a few child-friendly books of heraldry on hand to help them come up with
designs based on mythological creatures or other standard heraldic devices.
Golem
A.
Golem is a depiction of a Jewish myth that
features a powerful humanoid construct made out of clay named Joshua. This Golem is designed to protect the Jewish
people from increasing oppression and harm and yet develops a peaceful and
contemplative side. The golem’s creator
only sees the being as a tool, and though Joshua is respected amongst the
people he protects, ultimately, he is turned back into clay once the danger
that was visited upon the Jews has passed.
The clay used in Joshua’s creation is then protected, in case the golem
is ever needed again.
B.
Wisniewski,
D. (1996). Golem. New York City:
Houghton Mifflin Company.
C.
I
was immediately struck by the dynamic and stylistic art which marked this work
as a Caldecott winner. The pieces work
very well with a book that features myth and legend as primary subjects and
does a good job of portraying these larger-than-life characters. The ending may be a little bleak for some
audiences, but the spirit of the story stays true to the original myth and does
not shy away from some of the darker aspects of the story. The author does an equally good job of
portraying a peaceful, inquisitive Joshua and focuses on different angles to
represent the wrathful, protective Joshua.
This is a good addition to any library’s collection, personal or public.
D.
“In
illustrating Golem, through color and design, Wisniewski metaphorically
expresses that the flawed creation of the golem (named Joseph in his version)
is actually the flawed and suppressed nature within the human creator Rabbi
Loew. In this way, Wisniewski's golem serves as the Jungian shadow for the
rabbi. In the most obvious illustration for the whole book, the cover itself,
Wisniewski places Rabbi Loew in the central foreground with not his own shadow,
but Joseph's huge, dark one looming behind him.” –Amy Sonheim
Sonheim, A. (2003). Picture books about the golem:
Acts of creation without and within.
The Lion and the
Unicorn, 27(3), 377-393. Retrieved from
E.
This
would be a good time to bring clay to the kids and ask them to create their own
“guardian”. In this case, the children
could design their own clay golem in whatever image they would want. Access to a kiln would be necessary, but it
would make for a nice keepsake and allow creative control over what their
protector would look like. For a less
messy version, this could just as easily be done with standard art supplies
like crayons and paper.
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