The book "Saint George and The Dragon" is a golden legend adapted from Edmund Spenser's "Faerie Queene" retold by Margaret Hodges. The story starts off back in the days of giants, monsters, and fairy folk in England. There is a knight covered in armor and an old silver shield with a red cross on it. The shield is covered with dents from battles past by its previous owners. The knight carrying the shield now has yet to see a battle. He has been sent on a mission by the Queen of Fairies to prove his own against a dragon. He is riding with with a princess who is seated on a little white donkey, her name is Una. The dragon was destroying her land and many of her people have left their homes while others locked themselves in the safety of the castle. Una had left on her own to find a knight to kill the dragon and save her land and her travels took her fair away till she found the Red Cross Knight. The trip back to Una's land was a straight one but not the easiest to follow and so they had to travel side by side as to not stray from the path. At one point, they stopped at a hermits to rest. It was there that the Red Cross Knight was not born of fairy folk but instead of humans. When he was born, the fairies stole him away and hid him in a farmer's field. The farmer named him George and the hermit told him he was born "to be England's friend and patron saint, Saint George of Merry England" (12). Finally, they made it to Una's land they were warmly welcomed, but before they could make it to the castle, the dragon attacked the Red Cross Night. The knight fought valiantly with the dragon to almost no use. Knocked off his horse, the Red Cross Knight landed in an ancient spring the renewed his strength and he was to continue his fight. Again, the knight and the dragon fought an epic battle, the dragon had never fought anyone with such strength and determination. When the knight has used up all of his strength, he fell under and apple tree. From the tree fell a healing dew and there the knight slept till morning to find all of his wounds healed. The next battle was a quick one that ended with the dragon dead. There was a celebration and everyone in the town was very thankful for the knight saving their land. The King and Queen gave gifts of gold and ivory which the knight gave to the poor. For killing the dragon, the knight received Una as a wife and happily they lived till the times that the Fairy Queen called on his services.
I did not like this book at all. I did not think the story flowed well and I do not see and it would effectively hold a young child's attention or interest to make it through the book. Random things were explained at odd times through the book which did not fit or make sense. The illustrations are great though. They are very colorful and have a lot of detail that are appealing to the eye. I think the originally story might be better but I have not read it. This book has won The Caldecoth Medal award.
Hodges, Margaret (1984). Saint George and The Dragon. Canada: Little, Brown & Company Limited.
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