Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.Ī sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.Ī collection of parental wishes for a child.

Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown.

This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. With all the vagaries of the romance and the conventions of the code it has a strong appeal, but it's not the real thing.Ī paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere. Tristan marries another Iseult, remains loving and then breaks with his real love, but they are reunited in death. The story is filled with adventure and adversity - a firedrake killed, intrigue at court, a death sentence and escape, the separation of the lovers. What follows is a triangle similar to Arthur Guinevere-Lancelot, dramatic in its own way but not as distinctive, as the original. In all other versions Tristan and Iseult are lovers doomed after drinking a magic potion intended for lseult and her husband Marc Miss Sutcliff considers this 'artificial' and prefers a love springing from natural sources. Here, however, although her technique is sound, the power of her story is diminished by a strange (and self-confessed) alteration of the traditional texts. In presenting stories from the past, Rosemary Sutcliff has an unusual capacity for retaining the flavor of the original while discarding antiquated syntax and inconsequential detail.

Tristan and iseult by rosemary sutcliff