Jonathan Swift's Gulliver: Candlewick Illustrated Classic

by Martin Jenkins, Chris Riddell (Illustrator), Jonathan Swift

First published in 1726, Jonathan Swift's classic adventure story has long been a favourite with adults and children alike. This magnificent edition contains all four of Gulliver's extraordinary voyages. Travel to Lilliput. land of the small, Brobdingnag, land of giants, to Laputa, where inhabitants need to be hit on the head with sticks to remind them to talk; Glubbdubdrib, island of ghosts and magicians; and the kingdom of the Houyhnhnm, where horses rule over humans.

Award-winning author Martin Jenkins has skilfully adapted the original novel, remaining true to its tone and humour while making it accessible to younger readers. In this he is brilliantly assisted by Kate Greenaway Medallist Chris Riddell, who brings to life the people, creatures and kingdoms of Swift's searing imagination in wonderful panoramic detail. A tour de force of design and illustration, this is a peerless introduction to one of the English language's most popular stories.

"Glorious" - The Guardian
"Deliciously quirky" - The Times

Genres: Classics, Picture Books, Fantasy, Childrens, Literature, Fiction, Middle Grade

144 pages, Paperback

First published February 3, 2005

Reviews

[Gerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lemuel Gulliver had been stowed away within the covers of one of my books on my shelves since I first read 'Gulliver's Travels' as a youngster. That is until I spotted this delightfully illustrated and retold version of his travels in a bookshop last week; the illustrations are so marvellous I just couldn't resist it ... and then it suddenly got to the top of my 7,000+ to read pile!

Born in Nottinghamshire but living quietly in his south London home Lemuel took a post as a ship's surgeon on the 'Antelope' that sailed from Bristol on 4 May 1699. Shipwrecked he escaped with five others in a lifeboat but when that overturned he was the only survivor. And then when he came round he found himself bound hand and foot on the island of Lilliput.

The little people of Lilliput found him fascinating but kept him as a prisoner. But as time went on the court abandoned their plans to get rid of him and befriended him so much so that he learnt the language and advised them on their relations with the neighbouring island of Blefusco. He was so much a part of the community that when he decided to return to England it was a sad day and the whole of Lilliput turned out to see him off.

Back at home his wanderlust got the better of him and he embarked on a second voyage on the 'Adventure' on 20 June 1702. This time he found himself in Brobdingnag where, in direct contrast with Lilliput, the inhabitants were giants. He was treated as an oddity but once he learned the language (he was very proficient at languages even before his voyages) he became a confidant of the King. He was carried around in a small box, made into a chamber, but when a giant eagle flew off with it he had no choice but to leave Brobdingnag behind. Once more, after the eagle had dropped him and he landed on an English ship, he made his way home, arriving much to the delight of his wife, who was determined that he should not travel any more. But she could not stop him.

So on 5 August 1706 he was on his way once more, this time to Laputa, Balnibarbi, Luggnagg, Glubbdubrib and Japan. Beset by pirates he spoke in Dutch with the captain who graciously set him adrift in a small boat with eight days' provisions. He was then picked up by pulleys in a chair and hoisted to a floating island by a people who had to have a flapper next to them so that they could be tapped on the mouth or ear in order to listen to anyone who spoke to them! More scary adventures followed including a visit to Glubbdubrib, the island of Sorcerers or Magicians, where he was confronted by ghosts. He eventually went to Luggnagg and on to Japan where he fell in with some Dutch sailors and eventually returned to England once more.

His final voyage began on 7 September 1710 and, after a stop in Tenerife, Barbados and the Leeward Islands, he was taken prisoner by a newly recruited crew and later put ashore, abandoned on a seemingly uninhabited beach. But the island was inhabited, by some strange looking shaggy creatures, named Yahoos, who were ruled over by a colony of horses, called Houyhnhnms! Rather surprisingly he was befriended by the horses and one of them became his master, who he frequently conversed with and told all about the way the country that he, Lemuel, came from. The Houyhnhnms could not understand how his country could possibly operate the way it did and eventually they decided to let him return. They, therefore, built him a boat and set him on his way. He was picked up by some Portuguese sailors and duly returned home to his family for a final time, arriving on 5 December.

Sixteen years and seven months of travelling were over and he recorded his travels for posterity, noting that often travellers embellished their tales but insisting that he had always stuck completely to the truth!

Martin Jenkins retells 'Gulliver's Travels' with sympathy, retaining all the humour and social comment that Swift offered in a way that will appeal to young and old alike. And Chris Riddell's wonderful illustrations add to the enjoyment of a marvellous book, both in content and in production.

[Nikki in Niagara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reason for Reading: Read aloud to my son.

I've been looking for a *good* children's version of Gulliver's Travels for many years and have finally found the perfect version that I will recommend to anyone wanting to read this book for enjoyment. I love Gulliver's Travels; it is a wonderful story *but* I do not like the original version. Yes, I've read the original book, start to finish. Now I'm usually all about reading the original versions of classics but Gulliver is different. First of all Swift's Gulliver is not a children's story; it is political and social satire of the 1700s. It is full of references to personages and politics of the 1700s that have no meaning whatsoever to the 21st century reader unless of course you have studied the 1700s political scene yourself. The original is full of long, dreary passages that may have been hysterical in 1726 but are just completely long-winded and boring for the typical modern day reader and really there is no point in subjecting a child to it. This is why most children's versions only include the first two chapters: the voyages to the land of the little people and then the land of the giants. But the last two voyages are wonderful as well and I've been looking for a version of this book, that removes the outdated prattle but keeps the complete 4 chapters. This book has done so; plus adds illustrations by the comedic artist Chris Riddell and we have a winner of a book.

This version of Gulliver is not missing any details or plot lines, all voyages are covered. Now it has been some time since I read the original, but as far as I can tell the "rude" bits have been left alone as well. Social commentary is still present, only reworded to be understandable to today's ears and political satire has been kept up to a point as to where it is still relevant and no personages are mentioned at all, except on the island of ghosts where he calls upon people from the past such as Julius Caesar, Hannibal and Alexander the Great. Gulliver still tries to describe his world of Yahoos in words such as "They eat when they are not hungry and they drink when they are not thirsty." Social commentary which is still relevant today. The immortal Luggnuggians who have the gift of eternal life but not eternal youth are just as frightening a concept then as now.

Chris Riddell's illustrations are what you would expect them to be. Wild and wacky, hilarious and hauntingly eerie at times. A better artist could not have been chosen for this fantastic adaptation. In fact, it was seeing Chris Riddell as the illustrator that pushed me into deciding to give this version a go. At 164 pages, it may seem like the book does not have much meat but don't worry there is plenty of text here. The text is a little smaller than usual but in an easy to read font, the book is wider than a regular sized book and there are many pages of text without illustration and the use of an illustration on a text page has been used frequently as well. There is plenty of story here! I recommend this version of "Gulliver's Travels" to anyone young or old who wants to read a faithful rendition of the book without having to suffer through the pages of eyes-glazing-over 1700s political/social satire found in the original. Leave the original book to the scholars and read this true adaptation for the pure enjoyment and humour the book has to offer.

[Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Feels very like the original, adult version. Indeed, it is rather adult in nature! But the satire shines gloriously, and the kids get much of it and enjoy the inversions.

Loved it.

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great illustrations in this abridged version of Gulliver's Travels. The text seems to stay true to the spirit of the original while making the story more interesting and appropriate for kids.

[Zane Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

The satire of both Swift’s time and our own is biting and often hilarious, and my daughters loved the book (I read it aloud to them). The final chapter with the Hounynyms required some bawlderizing on the fly, but honestly the weirder parts they enjoyed the most.

The final chapter is a bit depressing though, just in how little hope Swift has for humanity.

[Rosemary · Rating 5 out of 5]

An abridged version of Gulliver's Travels for children, with beautiful colour illustrations by Chris Riddell. The story has its faults but that's down to Jonathan Swift, and I think this edition deserves 5 stars for the amazing illustrations.

[Sasha]

Incredibly fun illustrated kid's version of Gulliver's Travels!

[Alaina Sloo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful graphic novel-style illustrated Gulliver's Travels.

[Kelly Chester · Rating 5 out of 5]

Art work was amazing

[Ofer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic illustrations.

[Clare · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic retelling of Jonathan Swift’s famous story told perfect for a modern audience, enhanced by Chris Riddell’s fabulous illustrations. I really enjoying reading this with my daughter.

[Joanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've never read Gulliver's Travels, so I have no idea how this adaptation compares to the original. I thoroughly enjoyed the snarky and tongue-in-cheek voice of this adaptation. I hadn't realized Gulliver's Travels had so much social commentary in it, so I was pleasantly surprised by it. The numerous locales he visited and his adventures in them were enjoyable by themselves in their quirky and often nonsensical ways, which were only heightened and exaggerated in the wonderfully imaginative and colorful illustrations. I imagine it was a jab at these types of adventuring stories (Sinbad, etc.), but the way Gulliver kept showing up at home for a handful of months only to leave his poor wife and family behind drove me crazy. That poor woman was just expected to wait around for him to return after years abroad in who-knows-where doing who-knows-what with no guarantee he would actually return to pay the bills, which was about the only thing he was actually doing to contribute to the household. And on his final arrival home he's bonkers and won't even speak to her. What a way to treat her.

[Marike]

Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver – retorld by Martin Jenkins illustrated by Chris Riddell

A birthday gift. A beautiful book. Of course in some sense we know Gulliver from children’s stories and then there’s the real book by Swift which is not a children’s story at all.

I remember a lecturere saying, what does it say about our culture – that we turn a text critical of our values, a satirial piece, into a children’s tale? I also remember as a student being impressed with the sense of context of a text – with the fact that the European audiences read travel descriptions, with the contemporary responses to Gullivers’ travels focussing on whether it is ‘true’ or not. Which sounds obviously ridiculous to us! Yet, contextually, what we know about the world outside our experience, how it is presented to us...
Of course this is a retelling. And actually I understand that the content lends itself so much to storytelling, to the genre of the fantastical. That the style of the original is so bound in the old travel writing styl (which was very much the point then) that it is just too drawn out and – well, nowadays satire is presented more often inthe preformance arts, I think.

But I am impressed – really impressed that this retelling is not an ‘innocent’ retelling. It keeps very much a sense of satire, of critical engagement. Of making fun of the narrator himself – both in the tone of the retelling and in the illustrations. I think I got the sense of the ‘utopian’ Houhnhnms’ (or at least their influence on Gulliver) as being deeply tainted by what we’d call facism or simplistic racism even stronger from this retelling than from what I remember of the original. And certainly more so than in my memory of children’s stories of it – which of course might be incomplete. As a picture-book child one does not ‘get’ satire.

But I do mean to say that this retelling is a beautiful book, with a wonderful accordance between illustrations and writing and though the really good story is there, the tone of sardonic crisiticism of own values is there as well.

[Tricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've never read the original Gulliver's Travels. I had the stereotypical image of this story: Gulliver, lying on a beach, tied up by the diminutive Lilliputians. So i was surprised to find that his travels went far beyond Lilliput, and that he experienced a number of distinctive cultures.

I doubt I would have understood all the themes and deeper meanings behind the encounters had I not read about that online. I don't think this abridged/retold beautifully-illustrated version was to blame, though: I've never been very good at literary analysis (placing out of English 101 might have been a bad thing in the long run!). But at the same time, I doubt I would have read the original - it was the illustrations (and probably a more modern writing style) that kept me going. Don't get me wrong, this is not a picture book by any means, but the illustrations really add a lot to the story. I thought it was funny how, on his last voyage, you see him carrying a duffel bag made of the various fabrics he's worn in the various locations.

In conclusion, I am much more culturally literate than before, having now digested one version of this classic literary tale. I wonder if, having read this as a teen or tween, a reader would better understand the original upon encountering it in later life?

[Claudia · Rating 5 out of 5]

My two year old enjoys this book very much. The story is still to much for him, but this edition of the book has detailed ilustrations in every page! As we read the story, our two year old admires the ilustrations which are also telling the same story. He sits still and takes it all in. We love this book!
Great detail ilustration!
Ops! not sure if the review is specific for editions. Therefore the edition I'm refering too is the Candlewick Ilustrated Classic, ilustrated by Chris Rinddell.

[Cindi · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was reading this to the kids in April or May. I have wanted to read Gulliver and thought this illustrated, simplified story for kids might be interesting. I didn't like the illustrations farther along in the book, nor did I particularly care about the story. I decided that we might read about real travels and do better (at least than this version of Gulliver!)

[Stacie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is actually a re-read. Sunshine really liked it the first time, so wanted to read it again. Strangely enough, it is the most enjoyable reading of Swift I have ever done! The pictures in it are also very beautiful.

[Relyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

The illustrations were wonderful in this version of the book. It was also a good bit more accessible to kids. What I can't escape is that I never really did like this story anyway. But. If you do love this story, this would be a great one to share with your children.

[Mary]

I wish the version I'd read in Brit Lit had come with these graphic illustrations.
Caoimhe is hooked on this and I'm waiting for her to ask if the Lilliputians and the Munchkins were related. I'd put money that the question is coming.

[The Styling Librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jonathan Swift's Gulliver Retold by Martin Jenkins, illustrated by Chris Riddell - I simply loved this adaptation. My son and I read this together over the past few months. Often in the book I was surprised by what I read aloud.

[Marie-Anne · Rating 1 out of 5]

Both horrible and awful, getting increasingly worse toward the end. Don't read this. Especially don't read this to a child. Especially don't read this version and don't look at the illustrations, which are also horrible and awful. Just don't.

[Nojood Alsudairi · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is simply marvelous!

[Annie Feighery]

This retelling has amazing illustrations. I'm reading it with the children and they love it. The book makes for a very interesting commentary on Colonial England.

[Misty · Rating 4 out of 5]

abridged, but not too abridged. beautiful fantastic illustrations!

[Levi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is hilarious and engrossing.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gulliver visits many different countrues, not just Lilliput.

[Anastasia · Rating 4 out of 5]

AWESOME ILLUSTRATIONS!

Moves along pretty fast, nice quick catch-up with timeless classic. I'd forgotten there were all those other places he'd gone to beside Lilliput and the land of giants.

[Wilde Sky · Rating 4 out of 5]

A man recounts he travels to strange lands.

I found this book interesting and poignant – it made some good / moral points. The illustrations were great.

[Ana Cristina · Rating 2 out of 5]

mehh

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kate Greenaway Award; very detailed and some very silly illustrations