About the Author

ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON (1850-1894) was a Scottish novelist, poet, essayist, and travel writer who spent the last part of his life in the Samoan islands. His best-known books includeTreasure Island, Kidnapped, The Master of Ballantrae, andDr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

Reviews

Robert Ingpen's dramatic full-color, full-page and spot illustrations seem to reinvent Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island. Even readers intimate with the great adventure tale of young Jim Hawkins's search for buried riches will feel they haven't met Captain Long John Silver or the marooned Ben Gunn until they spy Ingpen's portraits here. Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.

Gr 2-5-This fast-paced, pared down "storyteller's version" of the Robert Louis Stevenson classic will captivate listeners thanks to Jim Weiss's ability to bring a story to life. Weiss begins by briefly discussing Stevenson's life and explaining how the celebrated author came to create the novel. After this fine introduction, he treats listeners to an entertaining adaptation of the adventure that is easy to follow. Young Jim Hawkins discovers a treasure map and takes to the high seas to claim the treasure. Battling Hawkins is a vindictive group of pirates led by the duplicitous peg-legged Long John Silver. Weiss has fun with the characters, especially the boisterous Silver, the shrill Ben Gunn, and a parrot that loves squawking "Pieces of Eight! Pieces of Eight!" He uses his voice effectively when describing both the terror Hawkins feels hiding from bad guys and the sudden noise of a gun battle. Jim Weiss ends by telling kids to find the book at their local library. An hour long program cannot do complete justice to Stevenson's classic, but this skillful presentation will encourage young listeners to read Treasure Island.-Brian E. Wilson, Evanston Public Library, IL Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.