Here There Be Angels

by Jane Yolen

Book Overview

Exquisitely rendered duotone pencil drawings complement a collection of short stories, folktales, and poems about angels, including ""Once a Good Man,"" ""Child's Prayer,"" and ""Brother Kenan's... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0152009388
• ISBN13: 9780152009380
• Release Date: January 1996
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt P
• Length: 92 Pages
• Weight: 1.28 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 8.3" x 10.3"
• Age Range: 10 to 14 years
• Grade Range: Grades 5 to 9

Customer Reviews

Mostly good

Yolen's "Here There Be..." series takes a slightly more supernatural twist in this book, where the focus is angels rather than dragons, unicorns or witches. Though marred by one jarring short story, this collection is overall beautifully written and well thought out."Another Count of Angels" is an endearing little poem for a writer or an artist. "Once a Good Man" is a heartwarming fable about a man who wishes to see both heaven and hell. "Tale of Two Peters" is when Saint Peter bumps into Peter the Great. "School Visitor" is a beautiful drabble about children describing the multicultural bevy of angels that they have seen. "Jacob's Ladder" is a fifty-word drabble in which Jacob sees the angels going up the ladder... or is it down? "The House of Seven Angels" is a story about a Ukrainian rabbi who has the Angel of Death lurking over him."Manya's Story" is an intriguing poem about a little girl who is "sold" to her neighbors so the Angel of Death won't claim her as it did her siblings. "Lady Merion's Angel" is about a woman who finds an angel in her garden. "Angelica" was one story I was uncomfortable with, about the angel Pistis Sophia and Adolf Hitler as a small boy. "The Angel of Mons" is a letter from a young man in World War II who sees angels. "The Boy Who Had Wings" is sweet and poignant, a story about a young man born with wings. "Child's Prayer" is an entertaining poem, with an accompanying amusing picture. "Brother Kenan's Bell" is based on an old legend, about a monk who tries to get a bell to ring with no clapper. I didn't really understand the song "Angel City Blues.""The Word the Devil Made Up" is a story grown out of an African-American folktale, and readers will never guess what the word is. "Fallen Angel" is the amusing story of when an angel falls to Earth, and into the care of three ordinary kids who try to help him. "Thinking of Angels" is an endearing little poem. "Wrestling with Angels" is a darker story where a boy sees his father fighting with an angel, a vision that drags his father's life apart before he puts it back together. "Angel Feather" and "On the Head of a Pin" round it out with some beautiful poetry.As always, David Wilgus's pencil drawings are exquisite, light and shadow that complement the stories being told. For those seeking good stories and poetry about angelic beings, look no further.

A Heavenly Read (hehe)

I was very impressed with "Here There Be Angels." Jane Yolen, an extremely talented writer, gives us a collection of poems and stories, all with some sort of angelic or heavenly tie-in. David Wilgus tops off the charming tales with his amazing drawings. The stories and poems cover a broad range of topics, from Old Testament arch-angels, and just plain cute little children's stories. The entire book is enchanting, and will be appreciated by angel-lovers everywhere.

Worth reading.

I loved this book, but I didn't like the Adolf Hitler story. Skip the story Angelica(Pistis Sophia) and you will be completely satisfied with this book.