Robin Hood

Gr 3-6–When tricked into killing one of the King’s deer by the Sheriff of Nottingham’s men, Robin Hood takes on life as an outlaw, living under the shady green cover of Sherwood Forest. Armed with just a bow, arrows, his cunning wits, and the help of his band of followers, he overcomes his adversaries time and again in this episodic account of his adventures. Calcutt’s writing is both lyrical and poetic, leaving readers with a sense of the idyllic atmosphere of life in the forest and the simplicity of days long ago. Each chapter highlights a few verses from the Ballads of Robin Hood, originally published in the19th century, which further accentuate the book's voice. Less impressive are the illustrations, which have a stiffness and inconsistency to details, leaving one with a sense that some pictures are more complete than others. Still, this volume is very readable and highly accessible to a young audience. For collections needing to update their classics, or those just looking for a new adaptation for both new and old fans of the merry outlaw, this would be an ideal purchase. Rebecca Gueorguiev, New York Public Library