Pilgrim's Progress

by Gary D. Schmidt, Barry Moser (Illustrator)

Overview

National Book Award finalist and two-time Newbery Honor-winning author Gary D. Schmidt recaptures the classic tale of one man's spiritual journey in this contemporary retelling of John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, masterfully illustrated with watercolors by artist Barry Moser.

Here again is the tale of Christian's epic trek from the City of Destruction to the Heavenly Palaces - of the pitfalls that threaten to waylay him and the graces that strengthen him along the way. Matching Bunyan's flare for storytelling and vivid imagery, Gary Schmidt's new narrative also echoes the style of writers like J.R.R. Tolkien, Dante, Sir Thomas Browne, E.M. Forster, and Nathaniel Hawthorne.

Even after three centuries, this odyssey of faith and human perseverance continues to inspire readers today - and now Schmidt's engaging retelling will delight and stir the imaginations of a new generation of pilgrims.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781467465182
Publisher:	Eerdmans, William B. Publishing Company
Publication date:	08/20/2008
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	189
File size:	5 MB
Age Range:	9 - 18 Years

About the Author

Gary D. Schmidt is an English professor at Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Michigan, and a prolific author of children's literature and young adult fiction. His books Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy and The Wednesday Wars each received a John Newbery Honor Award, and his Okay for Now has won a Children's Choice Book Award.

Barry Moser is the recipient of numerous illustration awards. He has designed and/or illustrated more than 300 titles, including The Aeneid of Virgil (University of California Press), Psalm 23 (Zonderkidz), and Moses (Harcourt). In addition to his work as a painter, designer, illustrator, and printer, Barry also lectures and exhibits internationally. He lives in North Hatfield, Massachusetts.

Editorial Reviews

The text is beautifully illustrated with Moser's colorful, realistic watercolors. . . . An interesting, accessible version of an old classic that many YAs have heard about, but not all have read.

School Library Journal

This masterly rendition of Bunyan's 17th century allegory issues a welcome invitation to visit this classic. . . . [Christian's] run-ins with an assortment of unsavory characters, monsters, seers and benevolent guides are brilliantly depicted in Moser's watercolor illustrations, which mirror the agelessness of Bunyan's moral. Author and illustrator produce a treasure sure to delight.

Publishers Weekly

If any earthly power can restore Pilgrim's Progress to the children's library, this handsome version ought to do it.

New York Times Book Review

This masterly rendition of Bunyan's 17th-century allegory issues a welcome invitation to visit this classic. While Schmidt modifies the vocabulary for a modern-day audience, he takes pains to preserve the spirit and artistry of the original text. His language is accessible if not invariably contemporary, as he tells how Christian leaves the City of Destruction in search of the Heavenly Palaces. His run-ins with an assortment of unsavory characters, monsters, seers and benevolent guides are brilliantly depicted in Moser's watercolor illustrations, which mirror the agelessness of Bunyan's moral. Author and illustrator produce a treasure sure to delight young and old. Ages 10-up. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Schmidt provides a clear, simple retelling of Bunyan's allegory. In this classic story, Christian leaves his home in the city of Destruction and sets out to find the Celestial City. Nearly drowned in the bog called the Slough of Despond and almost executed in a city named Vanity Fair, he is helped by such characters as Evangelist, Goodwill, and Hopeful, and hindered by Apollyon, Despair, and Deceiver, as he makes his way to his heavenly destination. This beautifully designed book has large, heavy pages, each divided into two columns by a single, scarlet line. Moser's watercolor paintings, mainly portraits of the characters dressed in clothing from many eras and places, thoughtfully interpret the text. A beautiful edition, recommended for any library with an audience for the classics.

Carolyn Phelan

AWARDS and RECOGNITIONS
 
Parents' Choice Award, Recommended winner (2008)

Publishers Weekly (starred review)


"This masterly rendition of Bunyan's 17th-century allegory issues a welcome invitation to visit this classic. A treasure sure to delight young and old."
 
The New York Times Book Review
"If an earthly power can restore Pilgrim's Progress to the children's library, this handsome version ought to do it."
 
Booklist
"This beautifully designed book has large, heavy pages, each divided into two columns by a single, scarlet line. Moser's watercolor paintings, mainly portraits of the characters dressed in clothing from many eras and places, thoughtfully interpret the text. A beautiful edition, recommended for any library with an audience for the classics."
 
School Library Journal
"The text is beautifully illustrated with Moser's colorful, realistic watercolors. . . An interesting, accessible version of an old classic that many YAs have heard about, but not all have read."

From the Publisher