Author Description

In the superstitious and wicked world of twelfth century Germany lives a little boy whose compassion illuminates the path to goodness like a candle lighting the way through the dark coves of an ancient castle. “Poor little Otto’s life [is] a stony and thorny pathway” in which he faces ruthless and powerful villains. Alongside his faithful comrades, who rescue him from a dungeon, Otto learns to overcome strife with “gentleness and love.”Otto’s perilous adventures come to life not only through Howard Pyle’s meticulous descriptions, but also through his renowned medieval illustrations. The folkloric tale of Otto’s maturation from a child with a robber baron father to an adult with his own family will enchant the imagination.