The Griffin and the Minor Canon

This is a lovely children's story with enough detail to delight a seven or eight year old, but enough 'color' in the story for even a two year old as well. The illustrations are a delight.

A truly wonderful book. I was given this book by my next door neighbour who was a childrens' book reviewer, and I have loved it ever since. I now read it with my six year old son. The illustrations by Maurice Sendak, which are much finer, more detailed and more intricate than his illustrations in 'Where the Wild Things Are' and 'The Night kitchen', are beautiful and complement the text wonderfully. Frank Stockton's prose is lovely to read, easily understood by even younger readers but still provides a salient message about tolerance, acceptance of others and sacrifice for our friends and the community. I cannot recommend it highly enough. It should be on all school reading lists.

Frank Stockton's "The Griffin and the Minor Canon" is much like the creature in the title. In mythology, griffins can be savage yet kind, untamed but dignified, noble and scheming, all at the same time. On the surface, the story is a quiet read-aloud tale about the last griffin wishing to see a stone likeness of himself over the doors of an old church. Like the protagonist in Kenneth Grahame's "The Reluctant Dragon," the Griffin is judged solely by his fearsome appearance and humanity's ignorance of a griffin's true nature. The cowardly citizens of the town where the church is located send their young Minor Canon to face the Griffin and find out what he wants. When the Minor Canon assures the populace that the Griffin wishes to see the stone griffin, they turn on him. Even after he leaves the town in an effort to lure the Griffin away, the Griffin's own acts of kindness as a school teacher and a doctor aren't enough to convince the citizens that they have nothing to fear from him. For older readers, "The Griffin and the Minor Canon" is a brilliant, timeless commentary on society and its faults. Prickly barbs and tart Yankee satire keep poking through what appears to be an old European tale. Mob rule and prejudice displace reason and truth. The Minor Canon can't please the townsfolk, no matter how hard he tries and the Griffin is never appreciated for his efforts. Maurice Sendak's illustrations are closer in spirit to illuminations found in old manuscripts. They are never intrusive, nor do they demand more attention than the text. The pictures keep pace with the tempo of the story, from gentle and lilting to devastatingly witty. Stockton and Sendak are a duet, perfectly matched though separated in years by the better part of a century. Children who hear "The Griffin and the Minor Canon" now will cherish it all the more when they're old enough to savor the tangy treat Stockton has hidden inside. Don't let your children miss it.

loved this book as a child - and as an adult - the pictures (black & white sketches) are marvelous and remained with me for years.

Beautifully written tale of the last griffin who visits a town where his image-a statue- has been part of the old church for hundreds of years. The only person with enough courage to speak with the terrifying Griffin is the Minor Canon. The townsfolk are sure that the Griffin will eat their children. Their selfishness and small-mindedness leads them to a life they couldn't have imagined. A great fantasy in a very realistic world!