Dracula

Teya Rosenberg is an assistant professor of English specializing in
children’s literature at Southwest Texas State University.

Bram Stoker’s tale of the vampiric Count Dracula is a complex work,
exhibiting multiple narrators and a wealth of concise detail, all
designed to create the sense of a rational documentation of horrifying,
fantastic events. Tim Wynne-Jones has endeavored to keep the essence of
the narration and style of the original novel while at the same time
condensing the story to fit a picture book. In the process, some of
Stoker’s characters have disappeared, while others have been altered.

Notwithstanding the cutting, compression, or conflation of events, the
essence of the original story remains. Jonathan Harker, a law clerk,
journeys to Transylvania, where he unwittingly furthers Dracula’s
attempt to establish new hunting grounds in London. Once there, the
Count threatens Harker’s wife, Mina, after her good friend Lucy
becomes one of the Un-Dead. The Harkers and a small company of friends
race against the clock to destroy Dracula before he returns to the
safety of his Transylvanian home.

Retellings of literary works are difficult to pull off, and their
purpose is often unclear. Presumably, this retelling is meant to
introduce Stoker’s tale to those who are not yet ready or willing to
read the original. As an introduction, it does convey some elements of
the original, but it should not be considered a substitute for
Stoker’s gripping story. Laszlo Gal’s double-page illustrations
reinforce the sombre atmosphere of the story but do little else to
further the narrative. Recommended with reservations.