Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle (Dover Children's Thrift Classics)

From Publishers Weekly

The San Souci brothers (The Legend of Scarface have retold the story of Ichabod Crane's last days alive, admiring the lovely Katrina and attending, at her father's home, a party where he hears of the Headless Horseman. Like A Christmas Carol, this story has been routinely reworked in strange and terrible ways. Here the artist has provided full-color paintings that show an awkward, frightfully thin Ichabod and the sweetly petite Katrina, set in 18th century surroundings. The pursuit at the end is shown in sweeping, eerie scenes. For those who find Washington Irving's original version hard going, this one is a fine alternative, especially for reading aloud.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-5-- Ichabod Crane's peculiar looks may not have found favor in Katrina Van Tassel's eyes--but in Flint's illustrations, Katrina's own eyes are crossed, and pop from a fleshy, sharp-nosed visage, thin-lipped, jowly, and neckless. (Irving's original description of Katrina as a "blooming lass" has been deleted from this adaptation.) Her favored suitor, Brom, looks like an early avatar of The Incredible Hulk (badly in need of orthodontics): Irving wrote of his "bluff but not unpleasant countenance." Even skinny Ichabod doesn't look so bad next to this loutish yokel, making Katrina's choice rather puzzling. The lurid color (a midnight sky of tomato soup, a pea green Crane) and bizarre perspective (the Headless Horseman's steed seems to be falling on its neck, although it's only rounding a corner at speed) owe something to modern art, but only caricature Irving's own art. There is humor in Irving's tale, but what we have here is parody. Choose Diane Wolkstein's retelling (Morrow, 1987), despite the indifferent cartoon illustrations; or stick with the "unadapted" meandering, dreamy prose of the original text, with color and line art by Rackham (Morrow, 1990). --Patricia Dooley, University of Washington, Seattle
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.