Joan of Arc

by Michael Morpurgo, Michael Foreman (Illustrator)

Overview

In 15th century France, a young peasant girl faces an overwhelming task: to save her beloved France from tyrants and restore the rightful king to the throne.

To free her country Joan must leave behind everyone she has ever loved, apart from her faithful sparrow, Belami. But with huge bravery and fierce determination, she follows her calling and is finally granted permission to ride fearlessly into battle, leading the French army against the enemy.

Many years later, a lonely girl called Eloise has a very special dream about her heroine, Joan of Arc.In this moving account by master storyteller Michael Morpurgo, Joan of Arc’s extraordinary story is brought to life as never before.

In collaboration with the celebrated illustrator Michael Foreman, whose art soars from the page, this true tale of a young girl whose courage and perseverance won her a place as the bravest woman in history combines contemporary relevance with dramatic excitement from beginning to end.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781786750495
Publisher:	Palazzo Editions
Publication date:	11/01/2018
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	7.75(w) x 9.25(h) x 1.10(d)
Age Range:	5 - 7 Years

About the Author

Michael Morpurgo, OBE, has written over 100 books, including War Horse, and won many prizes, including the Smarties Prize, the Blue Peter Book Award and the Whitbread Award. Michael Foreman's numerous books for children have earned him widespread recognition as one of the world's best-loved illustrators.

Editorial Reviews

"Morpurgo is an accomplished writer and storyteller . . . Foreman's dramatic, sweeping watercolor illustrations in shades of blue, gold, and earth tones mark the high points of the plot with full-page visual representations." —School Library Journal

From the Publisher

Following their Robin of Sherwood and Arthur, High King of Britain, Morpurgo and Foreman turn their talents to historical fiction about the Maid of Orl ans. Morpurgo frames his chronicle of Joan of Arc within a contemporary story about Eloise, a 17-year-old French girl who has set her heart on playing Joan in the annual tableaux in Orl ans, where Eloise's family has just moved. When Eloise narrowly loses a contest to portray Joan, she seeks the solace of the sparrow she has befriended down by the river. There a voice from on high ("from deep inside the light, deep inside the silence") tells her the complete story of Joan of Arc, including Joan's lifelong companionship with a white sparrow ("He was her best friend on this earth"). Told in smooth, expansive chapters, the narrative skirts some of the more searching questions about Joan's voices and vocation (such as those raised in Diane Stanley's recent picture-book biography, Joan of Arc) and accepts Joan's religious visions at face value. Indeed, with the introductions of a supernatural narrator and of a sparrow that enjoys an almost mystical relationship with Joan, Morpurgo signals that his storytelling is premised on faith. Foreman, too, adopts only the look of realism. His deceptively sunny palette offsets the often brutal matter of the narrative, and his familiar, informal, representational style balances his allusions to religious imagery. If the work is not as provocative as Stanley's, its polish and panoramic scope will lure and hold readers. Ages 9-14. (Mar.) FYI: Also coming from Morpurgo and Foreman this month is Farm Boy, a contemporary story set in Devon and focusing on a storytelling grandfather and his grandson (Pavilion [Trafalgar, dist.], $16.95 paper 80p ages 7-10 ISBN 1-86205-192-5; Mar.).

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Gr 6-8-As in the earlier books by this author and illustrator team, this tale begins in the present day with a young person searching for historical truth. When her family moves to Orleans, France, 17-year-old Eloise Hardy studies the legends of Joan of Arc, visits the 15th-century locales, and longs to be selected for the annual pageant honoring the city's most famous figure. One day she hears a voice telling the saint's story, from her childhood to her martyrdom. Morpurgo is an accomplished writer and storyteller. Facts and popular beliefs, history and legend are drawn upon to create an exciting tale. In order to give immediacy to his story, he creates an eyewitness to Joan's life in a small bird-a white sparrow she calls Belami-who comforts and consoles her, and witnesses her cruel death. The device is contrived but succeeds in showing Joan as a real person, buoyed by her belief in her divine mission, troubled by human doubts and fears, and full of compassion for her fellow soldiers and love for God and country. Foreman's dramatic, sweeping watercolor illustrations in shades of blue, gold, and earth tones mark the high points of the plot with full-page visual representations. Readers will enjoy comparing this story of Joan of Arc with Nancy Garden's novel Dove and Sword (Farrar, 1995) and will appreciate Diane Stanley's nonfiction picture book Joan of Arc (Morrow, 1998) as well.-Shirley Wilton, Ocean County College, Toms River, NJ Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

School Library Journal