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Chaucer, Geoffrey
5 Reviews
(3)
YA
Jeff Chaucer just wants to get on with the rest of his life. But on a senior trip to DC, his teacher challenges each student to tell a story, and Jeff begins to recognize points of connection with his classmates. This modern-day takeoff on The Canterbury Tales with an appealingly diverse cast of characters offers a winning, often funny exploration of the art of storytelling.
Reviewer: Norah Piehl
(3)
YA
Determined to pray for her invalid father, Belle sets out on a pilgrimage to Canterbury, England, with Geoffrey Chaucer. The story draws from historical information about Chaucer's life; some Canterbury Tales characters also wander in and out. Still, the strongest narrative thread is a romantic one, as Belle is caught in an intriguing (if contemporary-seeming) love triangle. Timeline.
Reviewer: Betty Carter
(2)
4-6
Williams adapts nine tales, each presented in comic-strip-style panels. A chorus provides running commentary, unobtrusively allowing the author to braid Chaucer's storytelling contest into her retelling. The bright cartoons make the most of Chaucer's bawdiness, exaggerating physical faults and reveling in potty humor. The straightforward telling reflects an oral style and allows the illustrations to carry both narrative suspense and humor.
Reviewer: Vicky Smith
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
March, 2007
(3)
K-3
This smooth adaptation of "The Nun's Priest's Tale" from The Canterbury Tales finds the haughty rooster Chanticleer nearly undone by his own vanity when he falls victim to a cunning fox. Chanticleer saves himself by sweet-talking Fox; both learn to "beware of false flattery." Large-scale illustrations feature varied perspectives and rare breeds of farm animals (catalogued at book's end). This is perfect for group sharing.
Reviewer: Carolyn Shute
(4)
YA
This wide-ranging overview includes solid information and intriguing anecdotes about how various levels of society lived in fourteenth-century England. Religion, education, commerce, and daily life are discussed in cogent prose and illustrated with historical reproductions. However, the text makes frequent references to The Canterbury Tales, giving this work the feeling of a supplementary study guide instead of standing on its own merit. Bib., ind.
Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta
5 reviews
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