CHILDREN'S BOOKS

Tale of the Warrior

by Theresa Fagan

Retold by Ian Serraillier

Illustrated by Severin

Bethleham Books

48pp.

1-800-757-6831.

Beowulf the Warrior is Ian Serraillier's modern re-telling of the eighth century epic Beowulf, the oldest extant epic in the English language. Only 48 pages, the book's 800 lines of narrative verse present the three most exciting exploits of the sixth century hero, Beowulf. The first two deeds occur in Denmark during his youth. First he slays Grendel, a troll-like fiend, and then he slays Grendel's vengeful, hag-like mother. Fifty years later, as an aging king in his Swedish homeland, he bravely gives his life as he delivers his people from an evil dragon.

Serraillier's version, written in the 1950's, has appealed to a wide range of readers. Boys enjoy this book because "it has fighting in it." The castle rings with the revelry of warriors, both cowardly and heroic who, clanking in armor, go forth wielding all sorts of weapons, to accompany Beowulf in bloody battles with ravenous monsters. With strong, vibrant language the author paints lively scenes. Of one fight he writes:

. . . Spilling the benches, they tugged and heaved, from wall to wall they hurtled. And the roof rang to their shouting, the huge hall rocked, the strong foundations groaned and trembled.

Lovers of beauty thrill to intense moods and images evoked by the deeply poetic language, moving, for example, even about Grendel:

Over the misty moor

From the dark and dripping caves of his grim lair,

Grendel with fierce ravenous stride came stepping.

A shadow under the pale moon he moved,

That fiend from hell, foul enemy of God....

Thoughtful readers will glean, even in this short version, some of the themes found in the original: the struggle between good and evil, the willing acceptance of death, and analogues of the Passion and Resurrection.

This book demands to be read aloud, and that more than once. How else to savor the richness of lines such as:

But away in the treacherous fens, beyond the moor,

A hideous monster lurked, fiend from hell,

Misbegotten son of a foul mother . . .

Beowulf the Warrior is a gem, both in itself and as an introduction to the epic that inspired it.

Theresa Fagan is the mother of eight children and has written A Mother's List

Heroic Lore

by Theresa Fagan

The Story of Rolf And The Viking Bow

by Allen French

Bethleham Books

240 pp.

1-800-757-6831.

Books are like families: "Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way" (Tolstoy). Good books reinforce our understanding of the truth. Bad books do the opposite: they undermine our moral sense and unfortunately, they can do so in a myriad of ways.

Because of the incalculable power of stories to form or deform the imagination, the authors of children's books have a great responsibility. These days many of them neglect it, to the great spiritual harm of their readers.

Allen French, the author of The Story of Rolf and the Viking Bow took his responsibility as an author very seriously. He was an expert in the ancient culture and sagas of the North and in 1906 he wrote:

If I wished a lad to learn from his reading the quality of steadfast courage, I would put into his hands [the] ... Icelandic sagas, with Morte d'Arthur and even the Niebelungen Lied, rather than the Iliad, the Odyssey, or the Aeneid. There is only one book whose tales surpass these northern stories in teaching the lesson of manly self-dependence, and that book is the Bible.

French set his story in Iceland a thousand years ago, shortly after the country converted to Christianity. Rolf is an attractive hero, valiant, prudent, long-suffering, and merciful. Only one confusing incident in the final chapter mars this story that is otherwise outstanding for its moral clarity.

There are four main characters: Rolf, a youth of sixteen; Hirandi, his father, for whose good deed his family suffers much; Einar, a neighbor who covets their house and goods; and Grani, Einar's son, the same age as Rolf.

The story is written in the style of the old sagas, in terse, dramatic sentences that go straight to the point. Virtue and vice are clearly named and are central to the plot. The little description there is refers mainly to character traits: Hirandi "was a silent man, not neighborly, but hard-working"; Einar "was rich, but covetous, and fond of show and fond of praise"; and Grani "seemed kindly, but petulant and uncertain."

Allen French's descriptions demonstrate his interest and understanding of human nature both at its best, and at its weakest and most vicious. Avarice, malice and injustice abound, but prudence, patience and forgiveness triumph.

Yet, the author never preaches. The Story of Rolf is the most action-packed story I have read in ages. Rolf's neighbors murder his father, dispossess Rolf of his property and unjustly outlaw him from Iceland. Rolf is attacked by pirates, shipwrecked, and enslaved. He goes through blizzards, fires and battles. How he recovers his possessions and restores his reputation makes for very entertaining reading.

The only confusing incident in this story comes after Rolf's triumph. The restoration of Rolf's fortunes reduces Grani, the neighbor's son, to extreme poverty. Rolf has suffered grave injustice at the hands of Grani, who though weak and immature, has come to love and admire Rolf. But in his stubborn pride Grani can not bring himself to beg Rolf's forgiveness.

Throughout the entire story Rolf has behaved flawlessly, and the reader has admired his every deed. Rolf now sets out to bring Grani to his knees, not out of revenge, let it be clear, but to help him, out of love. Rolf bribes a couple of thugs to do a series of injustices to Grani that reduce him to very bad straits. Grani recalls Rolf's long-suffering and bears his persecution patiently. In the end, after moving magnanimity on Rolf's part, Grani apologizes to Rolf and all ends well.

The final episode, fascinating as it is, is unfortunate. In my admiration for Rolf, I found myself trying to justify what is objectively a case of the ends justifying the means. I read this story to myself and then to our children, curious as to how they would react. Two of the older ones read ahead and finished the book on their own. Each of them came to me separately, confused by Rolf's stepping out of character. It took no time at all to clarify things, but I was glad I had encountered the problem first.

Rolf is still a wonderful hero and children will love his story. (Mine would not let me alone until we finished it.) It can be read aloud to ages seven and up, and alone by children eleven and up. The vocabulary is demanding at times. Although there is a glossary at the back it would help if it were more extensive. The unfamiliar points of Icelandic feuds and lawsuits are interesting and lead to good discussions. For sure, The Story of Rolf will open up a world hitherto unknown to most.