Mr Darcy is a children’s picture book written by Alex Field, and based on the much loved character from Jane Austen’s masterpiece, Pride and Prejudice.
The story follows a gentle, sometimes lonely and rather reserved duck on his discovery of friendship, in particular the importance of allowing friends to help in a sticky situation.
The illustrations by Peter Carnavas, are delightful. Here’s a sneak peek.
In terms of how this children’s story is related to the book Pride and Prejudice, the focus is on the much-loved character Mr Darcy. Alex Field captures the essence of a proper English Gentlemen, a quality synonyms with Mr Darcy, and Peter Carnavas adds to this heart of the character through the illustrations, including a tall top hat.
Many of the main characters from Pride and Prejudice feature in the story — there’s Lizzy and her sisters, Bingley, Caroline and Maria — however, they feature as an accompaniment to the main character and are less aligned with the novel.
The story is written in read-aloud language and channels the language of the Jane Austen period through lines like, “Are you in good heath?” This makes it fun to read for any Jane Austen fan like myself. Plus, all of my four children (aged from 4 to 10 years) loved story so it’s a win-win situation: enjoyable for parents to read, fun for kids to listen to.
Last Word
Mr Darcy captures much of the essence of the well loved character by the same name. This book isn’t a children’s version of Pride and Prejudice but rather: a clever interpretation of the character Mr Darcy, woven with words and illustrations into a delightful story for young children. One can never have too much Mr Darcy, now can they?
Mr Darcy
Author: Alex Field
Illustrator: Peter Carnavas
Publisher: New Frontier Books
{ 4 comments }
