Book review of two wordless picture books by Australian author Gregory Rogers following the adventures of a young boy transported back in time to Elizabethan England.

The Boy, The Bear, The Baron and The Bard (Allen & Unwin, 2004) and Midsummer Knight (Allen & Unwin, 2006) are two wordless picture books by Gregory Rogers. Similar in appearance to a comic strip without text, the illustrations are detailed and children will enjoy the opportunity to fill in the storyline for these tales of friendship and adventure.

The Boy, The Bear, The Baron and The Bard

A young Boy wanders into a deserted theatre. When he walks onto the stage, he finds himself in the middle of a performance of an Elizabethan play. His sudden appearance disrupts the play and angers the Bard. As the Boy runs through the town trying to elude the Bard, he finds a caged Bear and releases him.

The two escape together, wandering through Elizabethan London until they once again encounter the Bard. They run into a tower to hide, where they help the Baron to escape imprisonment. The three runaways sneak down to the Thames.

At the river, they are invited onto Queen Elizabeth’s boat, but the Bard once again finds them and the Boy and Bear must part ways. The Bard follows the Boy, who makes his way once again into the theatre, which is now deserted. As he runs through the curtains onto the stage, he returns to his own world.

Midsummer Knight

The Bear’s boat drifts down a river into a forest. While trying to hide from a swarm of bees, he finds himself shrunk down in size and transported into a forest glade inhabited by sprites and fairies. He meets a sprite reminiscent of the boy from his previous adventures.

The two enter a palace in the forest where they are met by a courtier. He imprisons them in a dungeon, but they manage to escape taking with them a royal couple who has also been imprisoned.

As they move through the palace, they find the courtier stealing the palace treasures and a battle ensues. The courtier is punished and imprisoned and the Bear and the Sprite are rewarded by the royal couple.

After the celebrations, the Bear and Sprite part and the Bear returns to the real forest and his normal size.

Gregory Rogers

An experienced children’s book illustrator, in 1995 Gregory Rogers became the first Australian to be awarded the prestigious Kate Greenaway Medal for his illustrations inLibby Hathorn’s Way Home. (Random House, 1994).

Gregory Rogers has taught and lectured in illustration both in Australia and overseas. His artistic abilities range beyond his book illustrations to include an entry in the 2002 Australian Archibald Prize. He is also a musician, playing the cornetto, recorder and baroque guitar.

A long-time interest in the Elizabethan period of history enabled Rogers to produced detailed illustrations for The Boy, the Bear, the Baron and the Bard, making it not only a fun adventure, but also a glimpse into Shakespeare’s London. This book was also selected as one of the ten best illustrated books of 2004 by the New York Times and has received several prizes and nominations in children’s picture book categories for a variety of awards.

Both The Boy, the Bear, the Baron and the Bard and Midsummer Knight give children a wonderful opportunity express their own interpretation of the adventures and character interactions. The books are sure to inspire children to illustrate their own exciting and amusing tales of friendship and daring. The stories are suitable for young readers from the age of six years.

Class notes for teachers on these books are available from the Allen & Unwin website. The Boy,the Bear, the Baron and the Bard appears on the K-2 booklist for the NSW Premier's Reading Challenge.

Related article: Shakespeare for Children