New Releases by Margaret Hodges

En ces temps lointains où vivaient en Angleterre des monstres et des géants, un noble chevalier s''était lancé dans une grande aventure. La Reine des Fées l''avait envoyé éprouver sa fougue juvénile contre un ennemi mortel, un dragon hideux et effrayant... L''histoire de saint Georges combattant le dragon est rapportée dans La Légende dorée, écrite par Jacques de Voragine, dominicain du XIIIe siècle. Elle est ici très librement adaptée, avec des accents épiques non dénués d''humour, par Margaret Hodges (1911-2005), bibliothécaire américaine et auteur de plus de 40 livres dont une majorité destinée à la jeunesse. Déjà récompensée pour sa version du Petit Chaperon Rouge parue dans la même collection, Trina Schart Hyman a obtenu la Caldecott Medal 1985 pour cette mise en images qui allie classicisme de la maquette, sens du détail et goût pour le merveilleux. Dans le droit fil de l''heroic fantasy si chère au monde anglo-saxon, elle confirme l''extrême diversité des sources et modes d''expression de l''album pour enfants aux Etats-Unis.

Retells the story of Moses, from his birth and trip in a boat of bulrushes to his bringing of the Ten Commandments down from Mount Sinai.

A boy''s obsession with drawing cats everywhere gets him trouble, until the felines reward their creator.

Tells how the well-known Christmas carol, "Silent Night," first came to be written and performed in Austria in the early 1800s.

A biography of the fifteenth-century peasant girl who led a French army to victory against the English, witnessed the crowning of King Charles VII, and was later burned at the stake for witchcraft.

Relates the story of the man who traveled west planting apple seeds to make the country a better place to live.

An elegant retelling of a gentle, little-known tale honoring the chivalric virtues of service and sacrifice is all the more beautiful for its understated quality. Beautiful watercolor and colored pencil illustrations were inspired by the 16th-century paintings of Hans Holbein. A visual treat.

On a voyage in the South Seas, an Englishman finds himself shipwrecked in Lilliput, a land of people only six inches high.

When a poor Irish peddler follows the instructions given to him by Saint Patrick in a dream, his life is greatly changed. Includes background on Saint Patrick and on the origin of the story.

Traces the lives and accomplishments of the extraordinary Mary Sherwood and her five children who played an important part in bringing great changes in higher education and voting rights for women, opportunities for government service, and awareness of the need to preserve the country''s natural wonders.

Summary: A retelling of the Arthurian legend of how Sir Gareth becomes a knight and rescues the lady imprisoned by the fearsome Red Knight of the Red Plain.

Retells the segment from Spenser''s The Faerie Queene, in which George, the Red Cross Knight, slays the dreadful dragon that has been terrorizing the countryside for years and brings peace and joy to the land.

Out of an agonizing American experience, the frail Scots author mined a treasure and carried it away with him.

Illustrations depict nine horses of folklore and classical literature, from the steeds of Norse mythology to Pecos Bill''s Widow-Maker, and are accompanied by retellings of their stories

Forced by his late arrival in England to stay in separate lodgings from the rest of his school''s crew team, 14-year-old Larry Dunlap finds himself becoming increasingly involved with the local people and their ghosts from the past.

A biography of the 15th century knight who collected stories about King Arthur and his knights and rewrote them into a work that was to influence poets and writers throughout the ages.

Retells ten myths involving the gods, ancient kings, and simple folk heroes of the Celts.

Retells the Paiute legend of the way the Coyote helped an Indian boy bring fire to his tribe.

Joshua Cobb''s mother told him boarding school would be the making of him, but after the first few weeks Josh felt it might well be his undoing.