When sleep was at its deepest, night at its blackest, up from the mist-filled marsh came Grendel stalking. . .

Thus begins the battle between good and evil, for lying in wait and anxious to challenge the ogre Grendel is a young man, strong-willed and fire-hearted. This man is Beowulf, whose heroic dragon-slaying deeds were sung in the courts of Anglo-Saxon England more than a thousand years ago.

Award-winning author and illustrator James Rumford forges his own account of the tale of Beowulf using only Anglo-Saxon words still present in our language. These iron-strong words recall the boldness of the original poem and echo the sounds of the ancient language for today's readers. With these words and detailed pen-and-ink illustrations, the author conjures the story of a hero who never gave up—no matter how difficult the struggle, no matter how deep and dark the night.

Ages: Strong-hearted and up

From the back of the book