Don Quixote and the Windmills
Gr. 2-4, younger for reading aloud. Cervantes' famous character gets new life in this adaptation, which zeroes in on the incident for which Don Quixote is perhaps best known--the one in which he tilts at windmills. The story begins as Senor Quexada goes mad, burying himself in the past and re-creating himself as Don Quixote, "a renowned knight." To that end, he puts on a suit of rusty armor, chooses a fat farmer as his squire and sweet Dulcinea as the object of his courtly love, and sets off. Spotting windmills in the distance, Don Quixote sees the structures as giants and refuses to be dissuaded about the objects' real nature. The telling here is staid, leaving the art to express most of the excitement. And it does. Veteran artist Fisher, known for his solid, impressive renderings, brings a suppleness to the artwork that captures a tale bubbling with action. The spreads in which Don Quixote becomes caught on the windmill's canvas and is pulled here and there are dramatically rendered, with perspective changing on every page. An informative author's note explains the story's history.Ilene CooperCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved