Disguised Literary Classics - with pictures!

The Picture Books:
1.  Saint George and the Dragon, retold by Margaret Hodges, illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman
A retelling of Edmund Spenser's Faerie Queene, this book really helped when I finally sat down to read the original.  Granted, convincing Dr. M. that I really had read it as a child was a bit on the difficult side!



2.  Gilgamesh The King, retold and illustrated by Ludmila Zeman
A retelling of Gilgamesh, and apparently one of a series.





3.  Merlin and the Dragons, by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Li Ming
A King Arthur story, Jane Yolen has (again) created a new story that feels like an old one we should have known. 




4.  Canterbury Tales, selected, translated, and adapted by Barbara Cohen, illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman
A retelling of Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, in clear but poetic language, and beautifully illustrated.  I think she's also published some posters of individual characters, taken from this book.




5.  The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, illustrations by Gustave Dore, editor Anne Rooney
A picture book version of this famous narrative poem, the illustrations are just gorgeous, and quite helpful in providing context. 




6.  The Children's Classic Poetry Collection, compiled by Nicola Baxter, illustrated by Cathie Shuttleworth
It may look like a picture book, but it reads like a Norton!




The Novels:
7.  The Sea of Trolls, by Nancy Farmer
What happens after Beowulf?






8.  The Eyre Affaire, by Jasper Fforde
*Wicked giggles*  When you take getting lost in a book to the next level . . .





9.   Firebrand, by Marion Zimmer Bradley
This is the retelling of the fall of Troy that brought it to life for me - told from Kassandra's viewpoint.




10.  Goddess of Yesterday: A Tale of Troy, by Caroline Cooney
Another story of Troy, this one from a different viewpoint.