Otto of the Silver Hand

Rating:
Summary: Double whammy - art plus story!
Review: Howard Pyle (1853-1911) was a famous artist, storyteller, and teacher. His was a strong influence on the Brandywine Group of artists. He taught at Drexel Institute in Philadelphia (now Drexel University), and his pupils included Maxfield Parrish and N. C. Wyeth. The latter's son, Andrew Wyeth, was influence by Pyle's "precision and elegance of line." The illustrations in Otto of the Silver Hand show these characteristics in 25 full page illustrations plus headpiece and tailpiece drawings for each of the 14 chapters. The exciting story of Otto concerns the growth of a boy living in the Middle Ages, who becomes advisor to a King, and practices the motto, "Better a silver hand than an iron hand."

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful, lyrical and haunting
Review: I first read Otto of the Silver Hand as a child and was completely intrigued by its medieval feel and simple, yet poetic, grandeur. I can honestly say that it is one reason that I went on to become a medievalist. As an adult, I've enjoyed it even more. Pyle's evocative illustrations add enormously to the mood and beauty of the work. I strongly recommend it for people of all ages and particularly as a good book to read aloud to children.

Rating:
Summary: Not for 4 year olds (or maybe even 8 year olds)
Review: There are many reviews that describe how wonderful this book is, which it truly is. However, there are phrases and words out of use, such words as dost, thou, weasand, and phrases such as "mare's egg". More importantly, there are many gaps in the book that all but the most precocious 8 year old reader will not be able to cross, leaving them lost in the story. It might work to read to younger children and explain the gaps, but certainly not to 4 year olds.

I can only describe this book as being written out of love, though modern readers may object to absolute "goods" that are identified in the book. Two are the monastery and the King. The later is much the same as the Disney/Grim's fairy tales ilk.

There is a fair amount of implied violence in the book, though only one explicit scene comes to mind, when the father, to save the life of his son, sacrifices himself to his arch enemy.