I’m sure many of you remember learning about and maybe even reading part of the ancient epic poem Beowulf at some point in school. I know I did. But, to be honest, I don’t remember much beyond it being hard to understand even after the Old English was translated into modern English. And I recall the difficult language made it a bit of a bore.
Well, for those looking for a lighter rendition of the well-known epic, publisher First Second is releasing Bea Wolf on March 21st. In this retelling aimed at 8-12 year olds, the warriors of ancient times are replaced with tribes of rebellious children who want nothing more than to eat loads of candy, drink plenty of soda and enjoy being kids. The dreaded monster Grendel is transformed into the fun-hating middle-aged Mr. Grindle, whose magical touch can rapidly age children directly into adulthood. Oh, the horror!
Above all else, Bea Wolf is a lot of fun. Zach Weinersmith rewrites the ancient epic poetry with a whimsy and silliness that children and adults will enjoy. French cartoonist Boulet adds equally silly yet adorable images of child kings, treehouse courts and toy-wielding warriors.
Although definitely a graphic novel, the story isn’t told with sequential art. Weinersmith’s words drive the narrative along, while Boulet’s images accompany the text more like those in a children’s storybook, most often without word balloons or caption boxes. This isn’t necessarily a criticism as the images are very good, full of funny little details and plenty of personality. Just don’t expect Bea Wolf to read like a long-form comic book.
The artistic style reminds me a little of Shel Silverstein – whimsical, black-and-white images with over-exaggerated features. The depiction of the horrible Mr. Grindle, with his long, thin legs walking in a weird high step, most recalls the cartoon creations of Silverstein. But, Boulet uses cleaner lines and more shading to create different effects.
Weinersmith obviously loves both the original Beowulf and everything that has to do with childhood. Bea Wolf is at its best when it celebrates the joys of being a kid, reminding even us adults of the importance of having a childlike attitude in life. Even the extensive notes explaining the history and academics of Beowulf at the end of the book are written in an enjoyable, kid-friendly style. I think I learned more from those notes than I ever did in school.
In those notes, Weinersmith explains why he chose the prose-style he uses in Bea Wolf. He wanted to write in a way that grade-school children would understand, while keeping some of the qualities of the ancient epic poem. So, although certain aspects of verse appear, the narrative is thankfully not told directly in poetic lines.
Weinersmith did include two features from the original Beowulf in his rewriting of the epic poem. The first is alliteration. Oh, there is a lot of alliteration in Bea Wolf, for example, “Bea unburdened her battle bear, put boots on tabletop.” Luckily, I love alliteration.
The seconds is what Weinersmith calls a “kenning”, which he describes as a sort of riddle with words. He uses kennings to refer to or describe characters, objects or almost anything in a kind of indirect but sometimes more descriptive way. So, we read of, “shadow-shielded kids,” “the play-hater,” and “the green-pantsed king.” There are a lot of these hyphenated kennings. Some work well to add to the silliness, while others make the sentences harder to read.
And that’s where I come to my biggest misgiving. Bea Wolf is supposedly aimed at children in the second to sixth grade. But, considering some of the more advanced and abstract phrasing that comes into play with these kennings, I think fourth to sixth grade is more appropriate. And even then, I get the sinking feeling that Bea Wolf might be a book for smart kids or children of academic parents. That could make it a hard sell.
In conclusion, Bea Wolf is a light, silly and fun reimagining of the ancient epic poem that celebrates the joys of childhood while poking fun at grown-ups. Probably most appropriate for 10 to 12 year-olds with a good vocabulary who will enjoy the humorous details in Boulet’s drawings while they giggle at the butt-jokes in Weinersmith’s light-hearted prose. As an added bonus, both parents and children will probably learn more about Beowulf from Bea Wolf than they ever did in school.
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