Legend of Sleepy Hollow, The

Legend of Sleepy Hollow, The
by Washington Irving

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About Book

From Publishers Weekly
Mystery, suspense, legend, romance and humor can all be found in Wolkstein's fine retelling of Washington Irving's classic folktale. Through the gluttonous Ichabod Crane and the devilish prankster Bron Bones, children are transported into a foul nightmare: being chased by a headless horseman who's searching a shadowy forest for his lost head. Wolkstein weaves reality and imagination with simple, eloquent sentences. Alley's graphic watercolors skillfully portray both the humorous Icabod with his pointed nose and long feet, and the gothic underworld of the haunted forest where even the horses become demonic. Ages 6-9.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grade 2-4 While this substantially shortened version lacks the rich detail of Washington Irving's tale, it does maintain the combination of humor and eerie atmosphere that characterized the original. Sleepy Hollow was a remote valley filled with strange beliefs and superstitions, a perfect place for an itinerate schoolmaster whose four books include one on dreams and one on witchcraft. When Ichabod Crane fastens his attentions on Katrina Van Tassel, the lovely daughter of a prosperous farmer, he risks the ire of Katrina's other suitor, a young man known for his boisterous sense of humor. A ghostly midnight chase brings the story to its famous double-edged conclusion. The full-color illustrations combine watercolor and lively pen-and-ink drawings. While all of the characters have comic qualities, the hapless Ichabod is pure caricature with huge ears, a beak-like nose, and an emaciated body with knobby joints. The energetic illustrations keep pace with the story to an unusual degree. Bright daylight pastels shift to rich cobalt, emerald green, and blacks for the midnight scenes. The line also becomes increasingly dynamic, ending in a climax of strong diagonals and vivid color. As an introduction to this classic story to readers too young for the Irving original, this edition is superior in both language and illustration to the San Souci version (Doubleday, 1986). Eleanor K. MacDonald, Palos Verdes Library District, Calif.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From AudioFile
The St. Charles Players bring a classic of American horror to life in this full-cast performance. Unlike the recent film version of SLEEPY HOLLOW, the script remains true to Irving's original tale, adding dialogue and additional ghost stories to flesh out the plot. The acting throughout is uneven. But overall, this play is pleasant entertainment based faithfully on a classic story of horror. S.E.S. © AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

From Booklist
It's been around for 150 years, but the story of Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman is still both shivery and funny. In the rich and heightened language of its time, it is still easily digestible. The naive, lanky schoolmaster Ichabod, the swaggering Brom Bones, and the rivalry over the "plump as a partridge" heiress Katrina Van Tassel are recognizable, indeed. Also recognizable are the landscape and towns of New York State, bursting with harvest ripeness. Add to this great mix the fine ghostly figure of the Headless Horseman, and the story remains a Halloween favorite. Oil paintings by Russ Flint will resonate with children who might have grown up with the Walt Disney sanitized version: elongated figures and rubbery angles fill an autumnal landscape of burnished colors in wicked oranges and golds. GraceAnne A. DeCandido

Midwest Book Review
This requires good reading skills from kids, but presents a fine dramatic retelling of the Irving classic which tells of a superstitious schoolmaster's love and his frightening encounter with the headless horseman. Excellent illustrations abound.

Review
"Washington Irving... makes Nathaniel Hawthorne read like Dr. Seuss!"

Book Description
Children, parents, and educators for more than a decade have trusted Troll Illustrated Classics. Carefully abridged and beautifully illustrated, these affordably priced paperbacks now feature contemporary new covers that bring alive the best-loved classics for a new generation of readers.

Download Description
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Featured is the terrifying headless horseman, the gawky Ichabod Crane and the peerless Katerina.

Card catalog description
In the first of these stories from the Catskill Mountains, a superstitious schoolmaster encounters a headless horseman; in the second, a man sleeps for twenty years, waking to a much-changed world.

Simon & Schuster
When Ichabod Crane becomes the new schoolmaster of Sleepy Hollow, he quickly and happily adjusts to the local ways. He delights in the bountiful dinners he's served when visiting the prosperous farms of the region; he enjoys the local yarns and scary legends that fill the firelit evenings of autumn; and he comes to love the idea of marrying Katrina Van Tassel and of one day owning her father's wealth and lands. There's one problem with his plans, though: Brom Bones, the local hero, who decided long ago to wed Katrina himself. And now, to his annoyance, this pasty-faced bookworm named Ichabod is making a serious bid. This droll tale of romantic rivalry climaxes with the appearance of the Headless Horseman. The spirited narration by Glenn Close, radiant illustrations by Robert Van Nutt, and original music by Tim Story capture all the wit, fun, and shivers of this early American tale. In 1988 the audio was honored with a Grammy nomination in the category of best recording for children.

Inside Flap Copy
With his beloved Gothic tales, Washington Irving is said to have created the genre of the short story in America. Though Irving crafted many of the most memorable characters in fiction, from Rip Van Winkle to Ichabod Crane, his gifts were not confined to the short story alone. He was also a master of satire, essay, travelogue, and folktale, as evidenced in this classic collection.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow said, "Every reader has a first book.... which, in early youth, first fascinates his imagination, and at once excites and satisfies the desires of his mind. To me, this first book was The Sketch Book of Washington Irving... The charm of The Sketch Book remains unbroken; the old fascination still lingers about it."

From the Back Cover
"Washington Irving... makes Nathaniel Hawthorne read like Dr. Seuss!"

About the Author
Washington Irving (1783-1859), America's first successful professional writer, was born and raised in New York City. William L. Hedges, author of Washington Irving: An American Study and co-editor of Land and Imagination: The American Rural Dream, teaches English and history at Goucher College, where he chairs the program in American Studies.

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