Maidens, monks, and millers’ sons — in these pages, readers will meet them all. There’s Hugo, the lord’s nephew, forced to prove his manhood by hunting a wild boar; sharp-tongued Nelly, who supports her family by selling live eels; and the peasant’s daughter, Mogg, who gets a clever lesson in how to save a cow from a greedy landlord. There’s also mud-slinging Barbary (and her noble victim); Jack, the compassionate half-wit; Alice, the singing shepherdess; and many more. With a deep appreciation for the period and a grand affection for both characters and audience, Laura Amy Schlitz creates twenty-two riveting portraits and linguistic gems equally suited to silent reading or performance. Illustrated with pen-and-ink drawings by Robert Byrd — inspired by the Munich-Nuremberg manuscript, an illuminated poem from thirteenth-century Germany — this witty, historically accurate, and utterly human collection forms an exquisite bridge to the people and places of medieval England.
作者劳拉·埃米·施利茨是一位历史老师，她为了学生更好地学习中世纪的历史，专门创作了这本历史题材小戏合集。这本妙趣横生的中世纪速写集包括二十一则迷你小戏。剧中主角全是儿童，有骑士的孩子、牧羊女、铁匠、吹玻璃工、磨坊主的孩子、商人的孩子、乞丐等等，一共二十三个角色，交织出一副中世纪儿童生活的拼图，通过这些孩子在中世纪的真实生活遭遇，反映当时的历史现实。一二五五年的英国，令人印象深刻的中世纪风貌，古代同龄人的生活故事，都随着精彩的剧本，变得格外鲜活动人。精致的插图是罗伯特·伯德模仿十三世纪的手抄本而作，笔触细腻传神，与文字相得益彰。童真心灵的光芒、单纯温暖的情节，让参与演出的孩子，在学到历史知识的同时，心灵也得到升华。总而言之，现在就开始迈上作者与插画家一起为你搭建的通往中世纪庄园的迷人小径吧，祝旅途愉快！
By Laura Amy Schlitz, Illustrated by Robert Byrd, Paperback, 140 pages, 8"x5.5"
