Product Description

Brings to life the enigmatic heroine, Joan of Arc, in words and pictures. This account captures Joan's courage and humanity and evokes the drama, triumph, and ultimate tragedy of her crusade. By the same partnership who produced "Snow White".

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #73887 in Books
• Published on: 1998-09-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 32 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Josephine Poole brings to life this most enigmatic of heroines, capturing Joan's courage and humanity as well as evoking the drama, triumph and ultimate tragedy of her crusade. Accessible and meticulously researched, this difficult story is told in simple, evocative language which will captivate and inform young children. Angela Barrett's illustrations perfectly complement the text, producing an extraordinary interpretation which increases the grandeur and drama of this amazing true story. Together the text and illustrations tell a complicated and difficult story at a level that can be understood and enjoyed by young children everywhere. --Philippa Reece

Customer Reviews

Evocative illustrations of a timeless story in history
Poole manages to capture a certain spirit when she writes of Joan of Arc, which will appeal to young readers and older readers. Poole describes Joan of Arc's life simply but memorably. A beautiful addition to any bookcase, the illustrations by Barrett are not a disappointment. The lavish scenes of court and the triumphant battle scenes complement the children's story beautifully and enhance the telling, especially for younger readers. The book also includes some thoughtful additions, such as a map of the area and a timeline and chronology of events, for the more discerning older reader. There should be more books like this to enable children to learn about great moments of history in an exciting and painless way.

Joan of Arc as a saint, who like a star, shines on forever
Josephine Poole and Angela Barrett's provide a compelling portrait of an ardent and spiritual Joan of Arc in this illustrated juvenile biography of the 15th-century peasant girl who led a French army to victory against the English and was later burned at the stake for witchcraft. Author Poole emphasizes that this is a true story, which is what makes the story of Joan's courage and humanity more compelling, especially with Barrett's illustrations, which provide a sense of both the time and the import of the story. Poole does an especially nice job of presenting the political complexities of the time in simple terms, yet provides a poetic touch to her text. What comes across is a story of a simple girl who was empowered by her beliefs to accomplish great things, that treats the triumph and the tragedy in equal measure, and underscores how after her martyrdom Joan went on to be named a saint by the Church.

Young readers will understand how Joan's beliefs could inspire her troops at the siege of Orleans, but they will have trouble understanding why there were those who abandoned her or why the English made sure she would be convicted at her trail. However, ultimately this look at "Joan of Arc" is more interested in providing a look at the story of her life without really trying to explain the motives of anyone beyond Joan. Within that context, the illustrations by Barrett make it clear that although she is dressed up in armor and carrying a colorful banner, Joan was a young girl. Young readers will definitely have a sense for why the story of this particular young girl has been a dramatic and compelling one for centuries.

A beautiful book!
We adore this story in our family. So often when picture books come out again and again, the reader's patience snaps, but I am happy to read this at least once a day and sometimes more. Our 4 year old is very fascinated by this book and will happily pick through the pages, telling himself the story from the pictures.

The illustrations are lovely - with lots of interesting "Book of Hours" style detail in the backgrounds, and some of the "action sequences" such as the charge into battle or Joan being captured are full of amazing energy. The way the story is told is so gentle and loving, explaining difficult concepts in a way that doesn't hamper the readability and even though the end of St Joan's life is in one sense bleak, it is handled in a way so sensitive that I don't mind sharing it with my pre-schooler - usually, for him, I just gloss over a few words and get to the delightful, faith-affirming conclusion.