Saint George and the Dragon
Margaret Hodges
Trina Schart Hyman (Illustrator)
Publisher:
Little Brown & Co.
ISBN:
0316367958
Year of Publication:
1990
Page Count:
32
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REVIEW
This is the quintessential knight versus dragon story. The Red Cross Knight is sent by the Queen of the Fairies to fight a dragon that is ravaging a distant land. He is accompanied by a dwarf and a beautiful woman named Una, who is daughter to the king and queen of the land under attack. The dragon proves to be a formidable opponent, and it is only after days of battle, and a little help from the prayers of Una and a bit of magic, that the Red Cross Knight is able to outlast and kill the beast. He earns the thanks of the country, the title of Saint George, and Una as his bride.
That the Red Cross Knight fights not for himself but for another (i.e. the Fairy Queen) is especially significant, because it reflects the Christian heart of the story. This is a story about responding to a calling; it is about service on behalf of others at the command of a ruling (and good and mysterious) lord. Therefore, this story reflects true heroism, the kind that involves self-giving, not self-promotion. Hodges' choice of words and Hyman's illustrations stay true to the spirit of the traditional story. They write and illustrate in a fittingly grand, graphic style, but they also hold onto the idea that this is an allegory about the defeat of sin and evil (thus the Red Cross Knight is aptly named, and thus the dragon has not a sympathy-inducing scale on his body). Consequently, children will hear a great, instructive tale about the conflict that lies at the heart of all stories because it lies at the heart of the Great Story of which they are all a part.
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