Beowulf the Brave

A brave little boy steps into the big boots of his hero, Beowulf the Brave, in this retelling of the epic poem. But will he defeat the scary monsters that threaten the land? Beowulf is the longest poem in Old English, the language spoken in Anglo-Saxon England before the Norman Conquest. The story of Beowulf is set in Scandinavia way back in the 6th century.

It is a story of good versus evil, with the Geatish warrior, Beowulf, saving his neighbours from a monster called Grendel, then defeating the monster’s mother, and finally protecting his own kingdom from a dragon.

The original Beowulf poem is more than 3,000 lines long! This book is a shortened version and is written in modern English, but it still includes all of the main action! The story of Beowulf was told by word-of-mouth for decades until it was finally written down around 1,000 years ago. Only a single copy of the manuscript survives. It is kept at the British Library in London.

About the Author

Graham Oakley is a children's book author and illustrator, most active during the 1960s to 1980s. He is best known for the Church Mice series and also illustrated many book covers in the 60s.