Rip Van Winkle

Book Overview

‘An accessible abridgment of the classic text filled with all the characters readers know and love.’ The Wishing Shelf

About the Book

To escape a nagging wife, Rip Van Winkle went hunting with his faithful dog Wolf as was his wont. Little did he know what he would encounter as he climbed up to the top of the Catskill Mountains, and what he would behold.

Meanwhile, twenty years later, a strange old man enters an All-American town looking for his dog, his nagging wife, and a world he had known, but had somehow mysteriously lost.

The classic story of Rip Van Winkle originally written by Washington Irving is brought to life in an abridged version for children ages 7–12 by authors Fiza Pathan and Michaelangelo Zane. The book contains nineteen, beautiful, black-and-white illustrations conceived by Fiza Pathan and executed by Farzana Cooper.

Reviews

TITLE: Rip Van Winkle
AUTHOR: Washington Irving. Abridged by
Fiza Pathan and Michaelangelo Zane
Illustrated by Farzana Cooper
Star Rating: 4
CATCHY QUOTE
‘An accessible abridgment of the classic text filled with all the characters readers know and love.’ The Wishing Shelf

REVIEW
I have always enjoyed Rip Van Wrinkle, the story of a farmer with a nagging wife who wanders off into the hills, discovering a group of dwarfs playing ninepins. After enjoying a few drinks
with them, he falls asleep only to wake up many years later.

Written by Washington Irving and published in 1819, it was a short story even then. This abridgement cuts it in further, simplifying the writing and improving accessibility for younger
readers. And, I must say, the two authors, Fiza Pathan and Michaelangelo Zane, did an admirable job, keeping to the original plot and not excluding any of the original characters. The editing is also top notch; not a grammatical error in sight!

But best of all, for me anyway, was the artwork. Farzana Cooper´s black and white
drawings are sprinkled without the text offering further insight into the story and, undoubtedly, helping younger readers to keep turning the page.

I´m delighted to recommend this book to anybody feeling a little daunted by the original text and is looking for a simple, accessible way of getting to know this classic tale. Everything´s there that needs to be there, and the enigmatic Rip Van Winkle is still as lovable as
ever!

A ‘Wishing Shelf’ Book Review