The Song of Roland

April 1, 2017

Gr 3-6-Making The Song of Roland into a kid-friendly package is a difficult job, but luckily Beowulf and his twin brother, Grendel, are here to make it easier. The book starts with a quick summary of the epic poem, retold through impressive artwork, then quickly moves to Beowulf and Grendel lost in the forest looking for their Uncle Holger. Those new to the series will have some difficulty here; though there is a much-needed character glossary in the back, there is no introduction to recap the previous volume. Beowulf and Grendel eventually find their uncle and help Roland complete his epic quest to defeat King Marsilion. The plot, much like the source material, is dense and slow paced, but Fajardo injects some humor to keep readers interested. And his reworking of the narrative-for instance, adding a theme park called "Ro-Land"-makes the tale approachable while still staying true to the overall story and characters. The artwork is serviceable, depicting goofy characters with blinding color, but doesn't match the expert skill shown in the first few panels of the prologue. VERDICT An age-appropriate version of a difficult text. Purchase where the first volume is popular.-Peter Blenski, Greenfield Public Library, WI

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