Otto of the Silver Hand

Rating:
Summary: Well, it's got beautiful artwork...
Review: ...but the story is boring. The best part about the book is the title. There are some good adventure bits, but Otto himself gets to do nothing but sit around and suffer, which is a shame since he has the coolest name. And then there are the tedious descriptions, which maybe seemed interesting to past generations who didn't know any better. I'm probably being too hard on Pyle, because I know he can do better than this. But in any event, trust me: you can safely skip this book.

Rating:
Summary: We read this as a read-aloud, and the kids loved it!
Review: Children and adults will love this wonderful book about honor and virtue in the Middle Ages. Otto, the young protagonist of the novel, proves that evil begets evil and good begets honor -- and above all that CHARACTER DOES MATTER. The novel, first published in 1888 by one of America's finest authors/illustrators is inspiring and exciting. A great book to read aloud to children.

Rating:
Summary: Character matters!
Review: Children and adults will love this wonderful book about honor and virtue in the Middle Ages. Otto, the young protagonist of the novel, proves that evil begets evil and good begets honor -- and above all that CHARACTER DOES MATTER. The novel, first published in 1888 by one of America's finest authors/illustrators is inspiring and exciting. A great book to read aloud to children.

Rating:
Summary: Double whammy - art plus story!
Review: Howard Pyle (1853-1911) was a famous artist, storyteller, and teacher. His was a strong influence on the Brandywine Group of artists. He taught at Drexel Institute in Philadelphia (now Drexel University), and his pupils included Maxfield Parrish and N. C. Wyeth. The latter's son, Andrew Wyeth, was influence by Pyle's "precision and elegance of line." The illustrations in Otto of the Silver Hand show these characteristics in 25 full page illustrations plus headpiece and tailpiece drawings for each of the 14 chapters. The exciting story of Otto concerns the growth of a boy living in the Middle Ages, who becomes advisor to a King, and practices the motto, "Better a silver hand than an iron hand."

Rating:
Summary: Double whammy - art plus story!
Review: I first read Otto of the Silver Hand as a child and was completely intrigued by its medieval feel and simple, yet poetic, grandeur. I can honestly say that it is one reason that I went on to become a medievalist. As an adult, I've enjoyed it even more. Pyle's evocative illustrations add enormously to the mood and beauty of the work. I strongly recommend it for people of all ages and particularly as a good book to read aloud to children.

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful, lyrical and haunting
Review: I first read Otto of the Silver Hand as a child and was completely intrigued by its medieval feel and simple, yet poetic, grandeur. I can honestly say that it is one reason that I went on to become a medievalist. As an adult, I've enjoyed it even more. Pyle's evocative illustrations add enormously to the mood and beauty of the work. I strongly recommend it for people of all ages and particularly as a good book to read aloud to children.

Rating:
Summary: No greater love has man than he who gives his li
Review: I have read - Otto of the Silver Hand - two times. Once to myself and then to my three oldest children ages 9,8,6. This book is as captivating and beautiful as a knight in shining armor tale can be. It's a tale of love, courage, good and evil. The love begins between husband and wife with as much fervor and honesty as is felt in the movie "Braveheart" (Mel Gibson). Conrad, the baron of the Castle Drakenhausen whose love is so great for the Baroness Matilda, takes their son Otto to the "White Cross on the Hill" soon after his birth. There his good, holy and wise Uncle Otto (Abbot Otto) resides. You see, Baroness Matilda has died at Otto's birth and Baron Conrad knows his cold castle and his bitter feudal world are not suited for the raising of his child. Young Otto developes a pure, simple and docile attitude in the 12 years he lives at the monastery. His father comes to reclaim him at this point and here the story begins to unfold.

This is so beautifully written! It's wonderfully suspenceful (how Otto escapes from his cold, dark dungeon when he is near death; how his father gives his life in the end for that of his son and the "faithful few" who remained with him till the bitter end. I am reminded of a thought which often passes through my mind - No greater love has man than he who lays down his life for another-

We do have one compliant about the telling of this tale...we wish there would have been more to the ending. It ended too abruptly in our opinion. We wanted more. However, we were left for many days reliving the book over and over in our thoughts and conversations. The spirit of great love from a man to his wife, a father to his son was refreshing. The story was indeed uplifting to the mind, heart and soul of myself and my children. What better tale to tell...to teach love in its sometimes harsh reality!! Death because of love!!

This book is too beautiful to miss!! (if you are interested in knights, etc.) Any critique to the contrary shows a lack of depth of the critic. Perhaps only those with the greatest potential to love can see the beauty of this tale.

Rating:
Summary: We read this as a read-aloud, and the kids loved it!
Review: My two boys (11 and 7) both were begging for more of this story! And that even though the language is not easy to understand (a lot of Old English). We really enjoyed reading it.

Rating:
Summary: Not for 4 year olds (or maybe even 8 year olds)
Review: There are many reviews that describe how wonderful this book is, which it truly is. However, there are phrases and words out of use, such words as dost, thou, weasand, and phrases such as "mare's egg". More importantly, there are many gaps in the book that all but the most precocious 8 year old reader will not be able to cross, leaving them lost in the story. It might work to read to younger children and explain the gaps, but certainly not to 4 year olds.

I can only describe this book as being written out of love, though modern readers may object to absolute "goods" that are identified in the book. Two are the monastery and the King. The later is much the same as the Disney/Grim's fairy tales ilk.

There is a fair amount of implied violence in the book, though only one explicit scene comes to mind, when the father, to save the life of his son, sacrifices himself to his arch enemy.

Rating:
Summary: Not for 4 year olds (or maybe even 8 year olds)
Review: There are many reviews that describe how wonderful this book is, which it truly is. However, there are phrases and words out of use, such words as dost, thou, weasand, and phrases such as "mare's egg". More importantly, there are many gaps in the book that all but the most precocious 8 year old reader will not be able to cross, leaving them lost in the story. It might work to read to younger children and explain the gaps, but certainly not to 4 year olds.

I can only describe this book as being written out of love, though modern readers may object to absolute "goods" that are identified in the book. Two are the monastery and the King. The later is much the same as the Disney/Grim's fairy tales ilk.

There is a fair amount of implied violence in the book, though only one explicit scene comes to mind, when the father, to save the life of his son, sacrifices himself to his arch enemy.