Don Quixote

by Michael Harrison (Retold By), Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (Original Author), Victor G. Ambrus (Illustrator)

He lived in a small village in a dusty corner of Spain, a bony man of about fifty. He had little to do, and so he read. The flickering candle flame filled the corners of his room with ghostly shadows of giants and of dragons--for the only books he read were about the knights of old who roamed the countryside seeking adventures.
The horizon stretched out an invitation. He knew that he too must be a knight, must travel on a quest, must seek adventures. So he found a suit of rusty armor, made himself a visor of cardboard and tin, and he called himself Don Quixote de la Mancha.
In this spirited, lively retelling of the famous Cervantes classic, Michael Harrison's clear and lively style is beautifully complemented by Victor Ambrus's evocative paintings of the landscape of sixteenth-century Spain.

96 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1999

About the author

Michael Harrison has written four teenage novels and has edited many highly-acclaimed poetry anthologies.

Reviews

[Kelsey Chambers · Rating 4 out of 5]

We had a great time and lots of giggles reading aloud as a family. Sancho Panza and his incessant proverbs, Don Quixote 's imagination and sheer insanity. One of our favorite scenes was when they visited the duke and duchess's castle and flew into the universe on their magic horse. We will definitely read this again in the future. I like this abridged version and the artwork was on point.

[Danaë Zegers · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such good boek heck yeah

[Erin Ching · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read the original, but this was a fun and funny picture book adaptation that makes me want to read the original.

[Lesr · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the illustrative way this story was told.

[Andrew Ives · Rating 4 out of 5]

As Harrison says in the afterword, this is a fairly simplified retelling of the much longer Cervantes original. That said, this version stands well on its own, is very succinctly written and especially well illustrated, making for a quick and enjoyable read (therefore ideal for readers who would probably find the original too long-winded or daunting). I enjoyed this rather more than I expected to. 4.25/5

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Modern, fairly short (93 pages) retelling, appropriate for kids. My kids enjoyed it.

[André Boldrin]

Prateleira 11

[Elease · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer that I've never read the original, so I'm reviewing this one on its own merits. I picked up this retelling of Don Quixote on recommendation from Story of the World for my 3rd grader's homeschool history. What a delightful read-aloud! The illustrations are just right for getting the imagination going, and the telling of the story itself is delightful.

For me, the goal of these "retold" versions of the classics is to spark an interest in my child that can grow as he matures in his reading so that he will actually *want* to read the original works when the time is right. This book checks the box! Plus, there are a lot of books in the world, amiright? On the off chance that he never manages to read all of the full or original versions of Cervantes, Homer, Chaucer, et al., at least he's had a taste of the stories and can maybe answer some trivia questions when needed, ha!

[KarenMLISt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scroll to reviewer "Cecily" and read hers - it's spot-on & covers why I enjoyed this classic so much!

[Brandon Ilano · Rating 2 out of 5]

I saw the play and read the book.

[Jaantony · Rating 4 out of 5]

avventuroso ed emozionante