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Charles Dickens and Friends: Five Lively Retellings
"With small, teeming cartoon scenes so boisterous they frequently burst their borders, Williams catapults readers headlong through five of Dickens's best-known melodramas." — Kirkus Reviews
"OLIVER TWIST, GREAT EXPECTATIONS, A TALE OF TWO CITIES, DAVID COPPERFIELD, and A CHRISTMAS CAROL are distilled into six- to ten-page stories that include the bare rudiments of each plot and droll illustrations featuring dialogue taken directly from the original works, spilling out of the frames into the margins with additional witty commentary." — SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL
"A fresh retelling that makes a good story as well as an introduction to classroom reading assignments or school dramatizations." — KIRKUS REVIEWS
"OLIVER TWIST, GREAT EXPECTATIONS, A TALE OF TWO CITIES, DAVID COPPERFIELD, and A CHRISTMAS CAROL are distilled into six- to ten-page stories that include the bare rudiments of each plot and droll illustrations featuring dialogue taken directly from the original works, spilling out of the frames into the margins with additional witty commentary." — SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL
"A fresh retelling that makes a good story as well as an introduction to classroom reading assignments or school dramatizations." — KIRKUS REVIEWS
48 pages, Paperback
First published October 28, 2002
About the author
Marcia Williams
75 books51 followersMarcia Williams began to develop her distinctive comic-book style at an early age: "When I was about ten and wrote home to my family from boarding school," she says, "I never wrote normal letters. I tried to tell my family about what I was doing in a way that was more fun. Also, my parents didn't let me read comic books, so I decided to create my own."
This former nursery school teacher blends her storytelling skills and humorous illustrations with well-known figures and stories from literature. Her unique style has produced such vivid works and action-packed books as GOD AND HIS CREATIONS: TALES FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT. "Working on the Old Testament was a joy," Marcia Williams says. "The tales are so rich, it is always possible to find something new within them. Yet, at the same time, they have all the comfort of the familiar." The artist also found pleasure in creating CHARLES DICKENS AND FRIENDS, which presents five retellings of classic Dickens tales. Of her inspiration for this book, she tells of a teacher she once had "who was extremely fierce and angry . . . except when she read the stories of Charles Dickens aloud. Through her, all his characters lived, and I was transported to their Victorian world. I hope that readers will also enter the wonderful world of Charles Dickens through this book."
With BRAVO, MR. WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE! and TALES FROM SHAKESPEARE Marcia Williams introduces young readers to the world of William Shakespeare's plays. Another classic she has made much more accessible to children--and more appreciated by them--is THE ILIAD AND THE ODYSSEY. "My mother read me classics, but until I got older I never found them interesting," she says. "If I could make these stories more accessible, I realized, kids wouldn't have to wait until they were grown-up to appreciate them."
Marcia Williams traveled extensively as a child and was educated in Sussex, England, and Switzerland. During her varied career she has worked as an interior designer and has assisted cartoon artist and designer Gerald Scarfe in making papier-mâché and cloth sculptures.
This former nursery school teacher blends her storytelling skills and humorous illustrations with well-known figures and stories from literature. Her unique style has produced such vivid works and action-packed books as GOD AND HIS CREATIONS: TALES FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT. "Working on the Old Testament was a joy," Marcia Williams says. "The tales are so rich, it is always possible to find something new within them. Yet, at the same time, they have all the comfort of the familiar." The artist also found pleasure in creating CHARLES DICKENS AND FRIENDS, which presents five retellings of classic Dickens tales. Of her inspiration for this book, she tells of a teacher she once had "who was extremely fierce and angry . . . except when she read the stories of Charles Dickens aloud. Through her, all his characters lived, and I was transported to their Victorian world. I hope that readers will also enter the wonderful world of Charles Dickens through this book."
With BRAVO, MR. WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE! and TALES FROM SHAKESPEARE Marcia Williams introduces young readers to the world of William Shakespeare's plays. Another classic she has made much more accessible to children--and more appreciated by them--is THE ILIAD AND THE ODYSSEY. "My mother read me classics, but until I got older I never found them interesting," she says. "If I could make these stories more accessible, I realized, kids wouldn't have to wait until they were grown-up to appreciate them."
Marcia Williams traveled extensively as a child and was educated in Sussex, England, and Switzerland. During her varied career she has worked as an interior designer and has assisted cartoon artist and designer Gerald Scarfe in making papier-mâché and cloth sculptures.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
April 6, 2020
Marcia Williams has done a remarkably fine job in presenting her five favourite Charles Dickens' novels in just 40 pages of brilliantly illustrated comic-strip format. And she has done it so well that she has captured the essence of every story, without missing any important detail.
We have Oliver Twist, an honest orphan boy raised in a workhouse where he asked for more gruel and was therefore sold. He ran away to London, where after being befriended and taken in he unfortunately met a Mr Fagin and his gang of villains. Would he turn out to be thief or would he triumph over evil ... just as Dickens did? Marcia Williams tells us the outcome most sympathetically.
And then there is Pip, a little boy of humble origins, who met an escaped convict and later a rich old lady and a rather arrogant young girl. He subsequently learned that he had great expectations of wealth and imagined that he knew who his benefactor was. But did he and are the expectations all that he imagined? In a rousing finale we do find out.
Two men, from two cities, loved Lucy Manette; they looked alike but are in fact quite different. Lucy married one of them but he was condemned to die as an enemy of the French Revolution. Did he die or did another's feet mount the steps of the guillotine? And if so why? Excitement to the very end!
When David Copperfield's mother married again he was cast out of his home and sent to earn a living in London. Would he be obliged to spend his days working in a bottle factory or would he be able to overcome his difficulties? Marcia Williams takes a leaf out of Dickens' book and tells all!
With Christmas not far over the horizon, a helping of Scrooge rounds up the tales. A stony-hearted old miser, he was visited by four ghosts, the first that of his late partner Jacob Marley who set the scene for the other visitations. The other three ghosts endeavour to teach Scrooge the error of his tight-fisted ways by showing him the past, the present and the future. Does this cure Scrooge and would he become one of the merriest and most generous gentlemen to ever celebrate Christmas? ... I think we all know the answer to that.
Hugely enjoyable fare, each story is told with a modicum of fun and they are a great introduction to some classic works ... and the volume is also a nice addition to any Charles Dickens collection.
We have Oliver Twist, an honest orphan boy raised in a workhouse where he asked for more gruel and was therefore sold. He ran away to London, where after being befriended and taken in he unfortunately met a Mr Fagin and his gang of villains. Would he turn out to be thief or would he triumph over evil ... just as Dickens did? Marcia Williams tells us the outcome most sympathetically.
And then there is Pip, a little boy of humble origins, who met an escaped convict and later a rich old lady and a rather arrogant young girl. He subsequently learned that he had great expectations of wealth and imagined that he knew who his benefactor was. But did he and are the expectations all that he imagined? In a rousing finale we do find out.
Two men, from two cities, loved Lucy Manette; they looked alike but are in fact quite different. Lucy married one of them but he was condemned to die as an enemy of the French Revolution. Did he die or did another's feet mount the steps of the guillotine? And if so why? Excitement to the very end!
When David Copperfield's mother married again he was cast out of his home and sent to earn a living in London. Would he be obliged to spend his days working in a bottle factory or would he be able to overcome his difficulties? Marcia Williams takes a leaf out of Dickens' book and tells all!
With Christmas not far over the horizon, a helping of Scrooge rounds up the tales. A stony-hearted old miser, he was visited by four ghosts, the first that of his late partner Jacob Marley who set the scene for the other visitations. The other three ghosts endeavour to teach Scrooge the error of his tight-fisted ways by showing him the past, the present and the future. Does this cure Scrooge and would he become one of the merriest and most generous gentlemen to ever celebrate Christmas? ... I think we all know the answer to that.
Hugely enjoyable fare, each story is told with a modicum of fun and they are a great introduction to some classic works ... and the volume is also a nice addition to any Charles Dickens collection.
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October 14, 2015This book, is a re-telling of some classics such as "Oliver Twist" and "A Christmas Carol". However, these stories stood pretty tru to their orginal stories. When I took this book off the shelf I did not expect it to be considered a graphic novel. The illustrations on the front cover did not look like what I thought most graphic novels would contain. It looked more like a regular picture book to me. Of course when I opened the book up, it did not have a typical comic strip structure to it. Although, the frames were organized into strips, the illustrations went beyond the frames. The overall page kind of took on a, "Where is Waldo" type theme. I was wanting to look for objects in almost every frame. Some characters would walk out of frames and some into frames, and these types of details really brought the stories more to life for me. At the bottom of each frame, the story continued, so it did take on some features a picture book might contain, but the characters spoke, as in a comic strip. I overall enjoyed this graphic novel.
February 7, 2022
Cool adaption of the original stories. Fun cartoons and good use of original quotes
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November 14, 2019A tale of two cities
By Charles dickens
Retold by Marcia Williams
A tale of two cities is a historical fictional novel set before and during the renaissance period by Charles Dicken. It was published in 1859 and in 1935 a movie adaption was made. The novel was retold by Marcia Williams and made into a picture book. The picture book was published on October 7th 2002 by walker books. The book follows a love triangle set in the renaissance period.
The plot of the book is very complex. It follows a love triangle between Charles Darnay, Sydney Carton and Lucie Manette. The story is set in London and Paris before and during the renaissance. Throughout the story there are many plot twist that may save or kill some characters. The plot twist leaves you gobsmacked.
The story first begins with an old man getting out of a French prison, after being wrongly accused, but him still served his sentence. He greets his daughter Lucie and then travels back to London with a fellow passenger named Charles Darnay. Charles is then accused of being a French spy after crossing the boarders. Sydney Carton helps Charles’s lawyer and successfully bails him out by an unsuspected turn of events. Eventually both Sydney and Charles fall in love with Lucie. Sydney lets go Lucie be with Charles because he knows she does not return his love and says that. Charles and Lucie end up together and starts a family. Not long before their wedding Charles reveals a family secret that he has been hiding, to Lucie’s father. After some mysterious plot twist Charles ends up in a difficult position that leads him begging for his life. Only one person could help him but it may be at the cost of his/her life.
There are three main characters. The character of Lucie is very innocent, but we know she must be likable and lovely, if the two main characters fall in love with her. I think that she is strong to still be bright and happy after losing her mother and not seeing her father for 18 years. The character of Charles is said to be ‘modest and charming’. In the pictures he is dressed in a blue which shows he is cheerful. He also does good deeds for Lucie. Just because his family did bad things doesn’t mean he is bad. The character of Sydney is said to be ‘silent and moody’. But we all know that he is very noble and caring. He has a very good side to him deep down, even though he looks rumpled up in the pictures. We see glimpse of his kindness throughout the picture book, and those glimpse are very heart breaking.
I enjoyed the plot a lot. The complexity of it was fascinating and very enjoyable, if you love mysteries. You get to explore the old world a lot and the society and how it was governed during the renaissance. I enjoyed every twist and turn of the plot. The way that Marcia explains the story is very similar to the original version. Towards the end it is very emotional. I love how even though there is little detail in the picture book, you can still feel the emotion in that was in the original book.
The character development was not as strong because it is in the form of a picture book, but you do get a little personality though the pictures and small speech bubbles. We didn’t get to know the characters as well as we would have in a novel.
The pictures in the book are very informative. The pictures set the scene and allows us to feel the atmosphere around the characters. The pictures were like a child’s drawing, so the book can appeal to a younger audience. The colours of the pictures also help set the scene and mood. The grey colours indicate a dark and troubled scene. The light colours indicate a happy scene. There are different colours for specific characters that show if they are good or bad or the type of person they are.
I like how we don’t have to focus on making the scene up in our imaginations with all the small details. Instead with a picture book we can just focus on the plot. However what I like most about this book is how an old classic is made into a picture book where younger readers can experience the classic. If you compare the two, Marcia’s version is very simple and is it easy for my generation to understand the plot. However Charles’s style of writing is very old fashion, which make it harder to understand, but it has more detail.
Overall I enjoyed this book a lot. I liked the thought of turning an old classic novel into a picture book where younger readers can understand it. I also really enjoyed the plot and the complexity of it. The part that I liked the most would be the ending and how very thing turned out. The character that I liked the most was Sydney because of his true kindness and nobility. I recommend it to anyone who loves complicated plot and characters and anyone who enjoys reading the classics.
I give this picture book a 4 out of 5
By Charles dickens
Retold by Marcia Williams
A tale of two cities is a historical fictional novel set before and during the renaissance period by Charles Dicken. It was published in 1859 and in 1935 a movie adaption was made. The novel was retold by Marcia Williams and made into a picture book. The picture book was published on October 7th 2002 by walker books. The book follows a love triangle set in the renaissance period.
The plot of the book is very complex. It follows a love triangle between Charles Darnay, Sydney Carton and Lucie Manette. The story is set in London and Paris before and during the renaissance. Throughout the story there are many plot twist that may save or kill some characters. The plot twist leaves you gobsmacked.
The story first begins with an old man getting out of a French prison, after being wrongly accused, but him still served his sentence. He greets his daughter Lucie and then travels back to London with a fellow passenger named Charles Darnay. Charles is then accused of being a French spy after crossing the boarders. Sydney Carton helps Charles’s lawyer and successfully bails him out by an unsuspected turn of events. Eventually both Sydney and Charles fall in love with Lucie. Sydney lets go Lucie be with Charles because he knows she does not return his love and says that. Charles and Lucie end up together and starts a family. Not long before their wedding Charles reveals a family secret that he has been hiding, to Lucie’s father. After some mysterious plot twist Charles ends up in a difficult position that leads him begging for his life. Only one person could help him but it may be at the cost of his/her life.
There are three main characters. The character of Lucie is very innocent, but we know she must be likable and lovely, if the two main characters fall in love with her. I think that she is strong to still be bright and happy after losing her mother and not seeing her father for 18 years. The character of Charles is said to be ‘modest and charming’. In the pictures he is dressed in a blue which shows he is cheerful. He also does good deeds for Lucie. Just because his family did bad things doesn’t mean he is bad. The character of Sydney is said to be ‘silent and moody’. But we all know that he is very noble and caring. He has a very good side to him deep down, even though he looks rumpled up in the pictures. We see glimpse of his kindness throughout the picture book, and those glimpse are very heart breaking.
I enjoyed the plot a lot. The complexity of it was fascinating and very enjoyable, if you love mysteries. You get to explore the old world a lot and the society and how it was governed during the renaissance. I enjoyed every twist and turn of the plot. The way that Marcia explains the story is very similar to the original version. Towards the end it is very emotional. I love how even though there is little detail in the picture book, you can still feel the emotion in that was in the original book.
The character development was not as strong because it is in the form of a picture book, but you do get a little personality though the pictures and small speech bubbles. We didn’t get to know the characters as well as we would have in a novel.
The pictures in the book are very informative. The pictures set the scene and allows us to feel the atmosphere around the characters. The pictures were like a child’s drawing, so the book can appeal to a younger audience. The colours of the pictures also help set the scene and mood. The grey colours indicate a dark and troubled scene. The light colours indicate a happy scene. There are different colours for specific characters that show if they are good or bad or the type of person they are.
I like how we don’t have to focus on making the scene up in our imaginations with all the small details. Instead with a picture book we can just focus on the plot. However what I like most about this book is how an old classic is made into a picture book where younger readers can experience the classic. If you compare the two, Marcia’s version is very simple and is it easy for my generation to understand the plot. However Charles’s style of writing is very old fashion, which make it harder to understand, but it has more detail.
Overall I enjoyed this book a lot. I liked the thought of turning an old classic novel into a picture book where younger readers can understand it. I also really enjoyed the plot and the complexity of it. The part that I liked the most would be the ending and how very thing turned out. The character that I liked the most was Sydney because of his true kindness and nobility. I recommend it to anyone who loves complicated plot and characters and anyone who enjoys reading the classics.
I give this picture book a 4 out of 5
September 2, 2019
This is my second review of adaptations of classic literature for children; in this case Marcia Williams recounts the tales of five of Dickens' most well-known stories, including Great Expectations, David Copperfield and the universally popular Oliver Twist: a book I first discovered at one of our own university book club meetings! The tales are retold in a very inviting comic-strip format, using Williams' own illustrations, and delightfully every bubble of direct speech attributed to a character within the strip is a direct quote from the Dickens original, so that children discover his Victorian language and can genuinely quote the original text for themselves. Of course Dickens was a social commentator of his day, and his stories frequently focussed on injustice to the poor, especially children: Pip, Oliver, and latterly David, are all orphaned children rejected by their carers; reflecting Victorian times, corporal punishment of children was rife and many characters die violent or untimely deaths through cruelty, disaster or illness: young readers might find distressing the Marquis of Evremonde running down a child with his carriage, or the tragic execution of Sydney Carton; as a result teachers would need to know their pupils' backgrounds well, and this might generally be a picture book most suited to Year 4 or above. However, Dickens provides a diverse selection of heroes and heroines - the frail child of Tiny Tim, the bravery of Nancy, the unexpectedness of Abel Magwitch as Pip's anonymous patron - sending a message of open-hearted inclusion which modern school values might well embrace. There is a beautiful level of illustrated detail around the edge of every double-page spread, ensuring no young reader could leave this adaptation without a good understanding of Victorian life and values - or in the case of 'A Tale of Two Cities', the French Revolution around 100 years earlier! My favourite entry however is Williams' own note to readers at the start: she remembers disliking reading as a child, except for one teacher, Miss Duncan, who read Dickens aloud to her class, and as a result ignited in Williams a lifelong passion for Dickens' stories herself. This has to be a legacy any teacher would be proud to pass on to any pupil, and Marcia Williams' own 'Charles Dickens and Friends' could help any classroom practitioner start down the road to achieving that for themselves.
September 1, 2019
A good collection of Charles Dicken's classic stories.
September 8, 2022
My 9 year old thought Oliver Twist was really depressing, so I read the rest myself.
April 29, 2026
3 stars
Snippets of some of Dickens' most famous tales in comic strip format
Not really my cup of tea
Snippets of some of Dickens' most famous tales in comic strip format
Not really my cup of tea
May 28, 2009
My kids loved this book. They looked at it over and over and one of my sons read most of it himself before I got around to reading it out-loud. For obvious space reasons the books are very, very condensed but you still get a good feel for the plot and the main characters.
I felt like the little cartoon blurbs said by the characters were not useful in this book. Most of the time they were confusing and didn't add anything. I also don't really care for the artwork although my boys think it's great.
Overall I'm very pleased with the book. I'd buy it in a second if I found it at a sale. While my 3rd graders don't know Dickens inside and out, they at least have a pretty good grasp of the books.
And they thought it terribly funny that the last page showed Dickens sitting there saying "What the Dickens!" because it is their mother's favorite exclamation.
I felt like the little cartoon blurbs said by the characters were not useful in this book. Most of the time they were confusing and didn't add anything. I also don't really care for the artwork although my boys think it's great.
Overall I'm very pleased with the book. I'd buy it in a second if I found it at a sale. While my 3rd graders don't know Dickens inside and out, they at least have a pretty good grasp of the books.
And they thought it terribly funny that the last page showed Dickens sitting there saying "What the Dickens!" because it is their mother's favorite exclamation.
June 8, 2015
This children's book of Dickens tales makes the writer approachable for a modern reader - aka our students.
Many of our students find Dickens tough to get through because of the complexity of his style. The is a great way to introduce Dickens and move beyond plot so students can dig into his words, his style, his message.
Stories included: Great Expectations, Oliver Twist, A Christmas Carol, David Copperfield, A Tale of Two Cities
Many of our students find Dickens tough to get through because of the complexity of his style. The is a great way to introduce Dickens and move beyond plot so students can dig into his words, his style, his message.
Stories included: Great Expectations, Oliver Twist, A Christmas Carol, David Copperfield, A Tale of Two Cities
September 26, 2015
I love Dickens and obviously making his stories more accessible for children can only be a good thing, but I think that, aside from 'A Christmas Carol' these would all be pretty tricky for kids to follow. In such a condensed form, with the beauty of language and style lacking, the plot twists often seem completely ludicrous as there is nothing to pull them together.
June 27, 2020
The in-depth illustrations and comic book style these classic stories are told in is a great way to introduce younger children to classic literature. At younger ages children use pictures to help them understand the events of a story, the comic strip style also helps by separating the story into short sections akin to early reading books with only one or two sentences per page.
August 12, 2008
A great introduction to Dickens.
April 17, 2009
I really liked the idea of rewriting it in a comic book. Looking forward to read Shakespears' plays as well (;
January 4, 2010
I read other edition retold by Brenda Ralph Lewis
March 13, 2010
Another great way to introduce children to the classics. Includes Great Expectations, Oliver Twist, A Christmas Carol, David Copperfield, and A Tale of Two Cities.
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December 13, 2017A fun little read.
Want to Read
September 19, 2018WORLD comments here.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews