Howard Pyle Books

I found this book to be a beautiful story that reminds us of the wonder and awe so present in childhood, that is often lost in our transition to becoming an adult. The descriptions of the joy and beauty in the garden, the moon, and beyond warmed my heart, and reminded me to have a more light-hearted attitude - especially as an adult! I found a copy of this book in a used book store during a full moon - and I'm so glad I did. It is a light hearted tale with important lessons, and perhaps those who cannot see its charm should re-visit the moon garden!

I really did not like this book, for the simple fact that it is very short, with too much happening. It never goes into much detail, just sort of skims over everything lightly touching on the main points. When I read it I felt like I was in a haze, nothing really stood out, so basically it is less than it's cracked up to be.

I bought this book for my son after discovering and enjoying Howard Pyle's stories of King Arthur. The Garden Behind the Moon is without question the best children's book I have ever read. It teaches some important concepts in a way that young children can understand: the reason why David cannot remain in the moon garden, how and why David must do the task he was sent to do, how David completes the difficult but necessary transition from little boy to grown man and how he ultimately brings the Know-All book containing its wisdom about the greatest sorrow and greatest joy to earth.

This book along with the Wonder Clock and the King Arthur stories have made my son and I Howard Pyle fans. Today's books for children are disappointing in comparison.

I fell in love with this book as a child and have re-read it as an adult. It hasn't lost it's charm! The review below is very critical, but one must understand the time period of the writing. The story is dreamy and fantastical, which is what makes the book such a pleasure to read over and over again. Recommended for all age groups.

Every night in the fishing village where he lives eleven-year-old David, a moon calf, sits alone by the shore watching the path of light that stretches across the sea until it almost touches the moon. Wondering where it goes, he decides to talk to Hans Krout, the cobbler, about it and learns that the cobbler has been out on the moon path himself. That same night Hans takes him to the shore and ties to teach him how to cross but David gets scared and falls into the water. Then one day he hears the voice of the Moon Angel down by the shore. Moon Angel makes people happy when they're sad, but he also takes something away from them. He tells David that he, Moon Angel, is the Master Cobbler, and David should have Hans bring him to the moon path again. That same night Hans and David make another trip down to the moon path, and this time David crosses it. Once he's on the other side he discovers that the path leads to a magical world behind the moon where David's adventure begins.

When he enters the magical world, the first thing he discovers is the Moon House where the Man in the Moon lives. It's dark and quiet, and every time David looks out a window, he sees something different. A few days later he discovers the Moon Garden. It's a peaceful place with a lot of children living in it. The children begin talking and playing with David, and they don't make fun of him like the children in the village where he lives, because they're all moon calves too. He leaves the Moon Garden, but the Man in the Moon decides that David will be allowed to go there for three days every month. During one of his visits he meets a girl named Phyllis, and they start to become really good friends. They do everything together. But five months later, the guardian of the children tells David that he can't come to the Moon Garden again because he will soon be 12 years old. Children can't live there once they're 12 years old because they have to learn how to become a grown man or woman. She also tells him that Phyllis is a princess, and that he was really sent there to find the Wonder Box and the Know All Book in order to bring them back to the brown earth again. The guardian says he must first battle a giant and then see an old woman in a red petticoat, who will tell him what to do next. Then while in the Moon House one day, David sees the Moon Angel, and passes behind him.

Now David finds himself on the shore of the sea ten years in the future as a grown man. He goes to the old woman's cottage and learns that Adam and Eve lived in the Moon Garden, where the Moon Angel gave them the Wonder Box. He told them that it held the greatest joy in the world, the Know All Book, but not to open the box because, if they do, sorrow will come upon them. However, a few days later they opened it and end up captives of the Iron Giant in his Iron Castle. In order for David to find the Wonder Box and the Know All Book, he'll have to travel to the Iron Castle too, but he'll have to outsmart the giant in order to succeed. Will David win the battle, and get the Wonder Box and the Know All Book back to the brown earth?

I liked this book because it was very magical and exciting. If I had been David, I would have been sad to leave the Moon Garden, and scared to battle the giant. If you enjoy reading books about magical places, THE GARDEN BEHIND THE MOON is an excellent choice!

--- (...)

Loved it! I couldn't put it down! It definately gets hot! Just purchased the second book Envy. I recommend it...

Somehow not what i expected it to be yet at the same time exactly what I expected, if that at all makes since. Reading it became very tiresome. Seemed to be just like the other teen novels out today about popularity, sex, and drugs. If you liked all the other books with that subject line then this is the book for you but other than that dont waste your time.

Can I just start off by saying that Robin Wasserman did a great job with her Seven Deadly Sins series! Robin, you did a great job! I think these books should be made into a movie. I definately recommend this book and all the others.
As for the book. It is based in a boring town in California, but the teens themselves are far from boring. With 7 unique teenagers all with their own agenda, it makes you just want to know more about each one, even though Reed is not mentioned much in this series.
Adam and Beth, are wholesome goody goody teens, while Kane, Harper and Kaia are all self-absorbed teens always looking for exitement and Kaia and Harper are definately "it" girls. Miranda is always on the sidelines, always following Harpers lead, but deep down she wants to be an "it" girl too, and she wants to have it all like Harper does. And she has a huge crush on Kane, who only sees her as alright but not hot enough to date.
Harper is in love with Adam, but he is too oblivious and caught up with Beth to notice. And as for Kaia, she sleeps with 2 of the main characters and she chases after the new hot French teacher, who is a challege for her, even the more reason to chase after him.
All in all, this is a great book, I definately recommend it and I have the first five series and I cant wait to read Glutonny!

i absolutely got addicted to this book! you become a part of the story, falling in love with the characters. i own this and envy,pride, and wrath. i'm now purchasing the last 3. i can't wait to see what happens next!

Whew! Break out the handkerchief for this series - not to wipe away any tears, but to dab away the sweat that will break out. This is one HOT series dealing with seven teens and the seven deadly sins.

Grace, California is a dry, dusty place with little to recommend it. What the town doesn't provide, the teens themselves do as they embroil themselves in complicated plots that would put a soap opera to shame.

In the first book in the series, handsome Adam is dating the sweet and dedicated blonde Beth, while his best friend, the luscious (and lascivious) Harper looks on in jealousy. Harper's best girl buddy, Miranda is her sidekick in all things, including embarrassing Beth any chance they get in the hopes that Adam will drop her for Harper. Then there's Kane, a super-sexy hunk with animal magnetism and no conscience (though he is the object of Miranda's affections). Mix in a beautiful newcomer from the big city, Kaia, and you've got fireworks. The seventh teen, Reed, is only barely mentioned in this first book, but look for him to pop up later in the series.

Oh, and I almost forget the mysterious and sexy Mr. Powell, the new French teacher who's almost as out of place in tiny little Grace as Kaia is. He's got his own agenda, and tries to woo Beth, but it's Kaia that's got his number.

Fans of the Gossip Girl books looking for a new sizzling read will snap up this series. Just remember that handkerchief. You might need it.

King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table
By: Howard Pyle
Have you ever heard of a knight who has a round table? Find this "knight" in King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. A boy named Arthur, whose father died when he was just a baby, was given to a farmer to hide from the bad knights trying to take over his father's kingdom. Merlin, a powerful wizard who has a gift of telling the futures of others, but not his own, creates an obstacle to try to find the true king of England. The obstacle is a sword in a stone and whoever can pull it out, which eventually Arthur does, is king of all of England.

The knight of the round table was brave, fearless, and daring to save his kingdom. He fought evil knights that plotted against him. He helped those in need and he pulled a marvelous sword from a stone. Journey to England and see this "Hero Knight" fight his enemies!

King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table is my favorite book that I ever read! I like the sword fighting action and all the knights fighting for King Arthur. See King Arthur and his knights fight for peace and justice in this book of witchcraft, swords and lances, and mighty struggles in this time-turning tale!

This book is about a guy trying to show he is worthy to be king.This book Has Alot of action in it.
In this book the guy fell in love with a girl and they got married. A few days after the wedding she got kidnapped. This is the book I have ever read. I hope you enjoy it.

"King Arthur and the knights of The Round Table" is an excellent abridgement of mainly the first but also the end of the fourth of Howard Pyle's unabridged four King Arthor novels. It isn't detailed enough for adults or very advanced kids to enjoy. It got under four stars in my view, but I rounded up. This rating would only meet one for adults. This book has action, magic, and romance and all youngsters will love this version of King Arthor. It has the Athorian basics; such as Arthor suceeding in pulling out the magical sword in the stone to become King of England, breaking this sword in a duel and receiving the more powerful excalibur, the marrige of Arthor to the magestic Guinevire, and Sir Modred trying to take his own uncle's throne. The ending is a tragic one, but I will not give it away. The is only one drawback from this book and that is that this book does not include more than a few sentences about Arthor's knights. It has the Launcelot and Guinevere thing (only having them more innocent), but doesn't say much about the other amazing Knights. I would reccomend for adults or very advanced kids, other books by Howard Pyle and "Morte D' Arthor". "Mortte D' Arthor" is intended for more mature readers, but isn't vulgar and sitcomedys are worse.

Putting Together the Tale

In Howard Pyle version of King Arthur's tales, King Arthur and the Knights of the Round table, he puts in many magical items to help him secede in his mission . He raises Arthur from coming birth to his death. He tells many other tales that you normally never here, like the white knight and the magic cap. It is set in the medieval times and the themes keep coming back .
This book is a very good book for younger people. I thought it was the worst book I ever read. I do not recommend this story to anyone over 11. Although I do think you should look for the illustrator in other books, the illustration were superb. The showed the right picture at the right time.

"King Arthur and the Knights of The Round Table" is an excellent book for readers who are young in age. It isn't quite four stars, but I rounded up. This grade is for children; as an adult book it would be only one star for the lack of detail and blood. This book is based on, the amazing aurthor and artist(unfortunately this book doesn't include his drawings), Howard Pyle's four King Arthur books; though this abridgement only includes some of the tales from the first and last of his series. It includes the basics of most Arthurian tales; the drawing of the seord in the stone, Arthur breaking this and then receiving the even more powerful sword excalibur, and Sir. Modred's atempt to take over the King's throne. This book also includes black and white pictures on every other page and have romantic and action stories which all young children will love. For adults or advanced children, I recommend "Le Morte D' Arthur" and other unabridged books by Howard Pyle. It should be said that "Le Morte D' Arthur has some adult context, though it isn't vulgar and most advanced teens would be fine with it.

This book is about a boy who gets betrayed by his father.The father place the baby in a basket and tossed it on the river .The basket gets picked up by a she-bear and adopted the little baby.When the baby was full grown he became the strongest man in town.

My favorite character in this book is the she-bear, because
she is caring and also helpful. I like this book because it reminds me of my life when I was a baby. My mom took care of me just like the she-bear taking care of the little boy.

this is a decent retelling of howard pyle's story. the story is standard stuff and the pictures may not be her best work, but any trina schart hyman fan would like to add this book to their collection.

For any lovers of American folklore, this is not the story of the soldier who makes a deal with the devil. It is, however, a fun and enlightening story with the slightly didactic approach of earlier "fairy tale" authors.

The main selling point is Hyman's vibrant illustrations. An experienced artist whose original forte was portaiture, Hyman makes every character in the storybook a real person, not an idealized view. Moreover, the cast is multi-racial. Overall, a great story book for kids or adults looing for somethign a little different.

Yes, this is a very good tale, written in a wry and captivating manner and most of the illustrations are lovely. HOWEVER, I bought this at my daughter's request for a "beautifully illustrated fairytale" for her 9th birthday. Thank goodness I decided to give it a look before I gave it to her. The evil princess displays the decapitated heads of her suitors outside her bedroom window, ravens pluck out the eyes and dine on decayed flesh. The witch's table is carved with a couple engaged in sexual intercourse and the princess is fond of wearing completely see-through gowns. I don't think these are things most parents want their children contemplating in a bed-time story.

The combination of Pyle's amusing prose and Hyman's lovely artwork makes this rags-to-riches tale a joy to read. Warning: It is definitely not politically correct; feminists will probably by totally appalled.

In regards to this book not being for children, I found this book in my school's library as an eight or nine year old. The story, but especially the illustrations, caught my imagination. Each illustration is a work of art with amazing details that you can get lost in. This book inspired my own sensabilities as an artist, and for years I wanted nothing else than to be as great an illustrator as Trina Schart Hyman.

Depending on your child, this book could be an inspiration. Too bad it is so difficult to find these days.

Book Review of
The Adventures of Robin Hood
(Retold from the Howard Pyle original)


I chose to read The Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle for three reasons: 1) because I like to read adventure stories; 2) because my brother recommended it to me; and 3) because I read the back of the book and it sounded like a good story. I thought it would be about outlaws taking from the rich and giving to the poor. I also liked the movie very much and so I assumed I would like the book too.


When I read the book, I liked the adventures in the woods and the way Robin Hood and his men we so good at archery, fighting with the staff, climbing and hiding in the trees and tricking the Sheriff's men. Each chapter was a new adventure and I had no idea what was going to happen next. In many of the chapters, the adventure was to get more men for Robin's Band of Merry Men or to fight the Sheriff's men. They fought the Sheriff of Nottingham's men because to get money and justice for the poor. The Sheriff was always taking the people's money and land unfairly. Robin Hood fought him to prevent him from taking things from the people.

One of the adventures that I liked the most was when Robin Hood went with his men in disguise to the archery contest held by the Sheriff in Nottingham Town. Robin Hood split the arrow in the center of the target on the final round of shooting. He won the contest but the Sheriff would not give him the prize that was a golden arrow. He wouldn't give it to Robin because Robin said "I will not join your service."

I would rate this book as a four out of five stars because it left out some parts to make it a shorter book. I would rather have read the complete adventure of Robin Hood because they tell the whole story, which is so much better. I still thought it was a great book because the writer put some comedy in the story and he added lots of suspense. I recommend it highly. In the end, I thought the book was better than the movie.

I thought Robin Hood by Howard Pyle was a good book because it showed how smart Robin is. It showed this by how many times he tricked the sheriff. This book show also how nice Robin Hood really was. He would steal from the rich and give to the poor who were always asked for taxes by the sheriff.

I ordered this book hoping that it contained the large, full color illustrations of previous editions. It doesn't. While it contains all the illustrations, they are smaller, black and white photographs of the originals. So of course I was dissapointed. (For $, what did I expect? Earlier editions sell from $75 to over a $1,000). But anyone who enjoys an old fashioned pirate tale will not be dissapointed. Howard Pyle was not only an extraordinary illustrator, but also a masterful story teller.

Definitive work by a Master Illustrator.
fine condition

I was thrilled when my parents found their 1921 hardcover edition of Howard Pyle's Book of Pirates! The Dover edition includes an extra story, "The Ruby of Kishmoor," (which I have read separately) and far more painted illustrations or quick sketches for the reader to enjoy. The cover of the book is one of the more extraordinary paintings done by Mr. Pyle.

The confusing thing is the title: is the book fiction, or does Pyle relate the facts of certain pirates? By the second chapter, it is evident the book is fiction loosely wrapped around real-life elements and historical characters. For example, "With the Buccaneers" utilizes Henry Morgan and some of his affairs, while "Jack Ballister's Fortunes" is about the downfall of Blackbeard. Both are fictionally portrayed while containing elements and dialogue reportedly true to the events of the time.

The first chapter, Buccaneers and Marooners of the Spanish Main, is probably a reprinting of Pyle's article (or an excerpt from the book) of the same name. In it, Pyle breezes over Pierre François, Bartholomew Portuguese, and Roch Braziliano, all of whom are several minor characters who helped instigate, in their small way, the piracies of the 17th century. Pyle continues by recounting brief histories of Captain Henry Morgan, who was knighted by King Charles II, and Captain Avary, whose exploits twisted against him. Captain Kidd gets but one paragraph asserting (and correctly so) he was never a true pirate. Pyle then focuses on tales regarding Blackbeard in and around the Carolinas; Captain Low, who revenged against Yankees; and Pyle then concludes by mentioning the likes of "Ned" England, Captain Howell Davis, and of course the great Bartholomew Roberts.

The chapters that follow are merely short stories that disappoint when it comes to swashbuckling affairs, but are entertaining nevertheless, and more so, probably, for younger readers. My favorite yarn in this book is "Tom Chist and the Treasure Box," where a young lad espies Captain Kidd burying a treasure chest late at night. The tale is so simple and so romantic that I enjoyed it immensely. "Blueskin" is perhaps the most mature story and most readers will relate to the struggles of lost love found here. The story is the darkest and most frightening of the collection. Unfortunately, "The Ruby of Kishmoor" is the silliest (and lengthiest) tale, with a hero who is the least bright of all heros set on paper.

The stories simply aren't as well written or as imaginative as I had hoped. The endings almost always find the hero as a wealthy victor with a new bride. But the book can be read quickly while your crew careens the ship.

This book is a collection of fictional pirate stories that is sure to entertain young adults. Some of the dialog is in the Old English format, but it is not that difficult to get through. I was dissapointed in the book because it was exclusively fiction and the stories were not even based on true stories. I would not recomend this book for anyone above the highschool grade level. It is a book of adventure stories that would appeal to young males. One of the strong points of this book is that it had excellent drawings. These drawings were spread throughout the book and helped you get an image of the story. If you are interested in the history of pirates don't make the mistake I did because you will be disappointed.

This book brings to you the blend of the fantasy life of its title: Pirates, Patriots and Princesses with the outstanding artwork of the master Howard Pyle. He brings to you such action and grace with great brush strokes that come alive - even after printing into a book! Can't get much better than this!

Howard Pyle is, perhaps, the dean of American illustrators, up there with the great N. C. Wyeth and Charles Dana Gibson as the progenitors of what we now have come to think of as illustration in America. The visions we see in our collective imaginations of knights on gleaming chargers, dastardly pirates, and other such images truly began with Pyle's brush. "Pirates, Patriots, and Princesses" (hereafter referred to as PP&P) is a nice, if slim, volume of Pyle's art, but might not be the single best one to get.

Within PP&P you'll find a number of wonderful paintings, from Pyle's famed illustration of Blackbeard's demise, to the mournful "Marooned," and others that you will doubtless be looking for. This book focuses on his paintings of pirates, the American Revolution, and various chivalry/mythology-related works. It's very nice to have an inexpensive volume of Pyle's work available, and the book is printed on good quality paper. What troubles me about the book is, first, that some of the works are in black and white (not many, but enough to be perturbing) and printed far too small to be truly appreciated. For instance, my personal favorite, "Marooned," is printed much smaller than a postcard and is somewhat disappointing. Dover might have done better to give the paintings a single page treatment apiece. As it is, this is really just a minor introduction to Pyle, rather than a standard work. For those looking to begin an interest in Pyle, Wyeth, and others, this is a good place to start, but you may want to look at other books as well.

I own other Dover art books, and they are wonderful books, but the content of this one was a bit disappointing to me. I was really hoping for more pirate pieces. The famous cover used on Treasure Island is not even included. These seemed to be more obscure pieces that I had never seen before. I don't know, if you're a huge Pyle fan, then you might really enjoy it, but if you are looking for his art that you've seen printed in countless pirate books like me...this is not going to impress you much.

While the story is fun and exciting, the sentence structure in the book is very disappointing. I recognize that it may be the author's style to add emphasis to ideas by writing them as stand-alone sentences, even if they are fragments. However, the children who are reading this book are usually also just learning how to write a good sentence; so the basic rule that a sentence should be a complete thought is more important in books for early readers than in books written for older audiences.
I was also frustrated because it would have been so easy for the author to write her thoughts in complete sentences. Many fragments could easily have been written as the second half of a compound sentence.
Some examples from page 6:
"The lad agreed. And he beat the man. Fair and square."
"But the man was angry. And embarrassed."
"Like most outlaws, he stole. But only from the rich."

I bought this book to read with my 7 year old, and I am pretty well pleased with it. The vocabulary is simple, the sentences are short (and often start with the word "and"; my grade school teachers would be appalled), but the tale is told effectively and accessibly for young readers.

Also, unlike some other books for young readers (e.g. the Droon series), this book does not simplify to the point of eliminating all of the descriptive passages. When Robin disguises himself as a musician, he wears "feathers of many colors" and carries a harp. There's not enough description to interfere with the pace for impatient children, but there is enough detail to hang your imagination off of.

As for the story, there were some frustrating omissions. The origin of Robin Hood is given only a few paragraphs in the introduction, and the tales of how Will Scarlet and Friar Tuck joined the band are missing. The book only tells how Little John joined. The rest just sort of show up later in the story. I'm sure that was done to keep the pace of the story moving, but it would have been good to have more of the stories written in this same style.

The rest of the story is a reasonably solid narration of the traditional tale of Robin Hood, with no more than the usual level of variation. I definitely recommend this book as a good way to introduce children to the story of Robin Hood, though I like the Dover Children's Thrift Classics edition slightly better.

I am 6 years old in first grade and I love this book! I like the characters best. It's great. The words were not hard for me. I've got 20,000 Leagues under the sea, the last of the Mohicans, Robin Hood, and Kidnapped, and Robin Hood is one of the best of these.