Who Was J.R.R. Tolkien? by Pam Pollack

Who Was J.R.R. Tolkien? Reviews

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  Michelle Curie

  I have this thing where I find it really difficult to not exchange my money for anything that says Tolkien. I expected this to be a quick and silly read, but it turned out to be proper fun! Turns out this volume is one of over a hundred illustrated biographies that have been published to explain to children who notable people were.
  
  
  
  J. R. R. Tolkien is no stranger to arguably any book reader, but he finds his fans mainly among people who enjoy a good bit of fantasy and world building (Me!). While I love his books and stories, I only have had basic knowledge about his background, which meant that this little volume was able to give me a better understanding of who the person behind books such as The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings was.
  
  
  
  Pollack writes in a simple and straight-forward fashion, which makes you aware of this having been written for children, yet I'm not sure how much pleasure kid-me would have found in all these tidbits of information. Adult me, however, enjoyed it! We learn about Tolkien's catholic upbringing, his early interest in languages and linguistics as well as experiences during the two World Wars he lived through. It's a quick read, but as every page is accompanied by neat little drawings and anecdotes, it's something worth having a look at.
  
  "Ronald Tolkien not only created his own world, he also changed ours Today, fantasy adventures are not only for children. Epic fantasy series like Star Wars would not exist without Ronald leading the way. Role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons also have their origins in Ronald's world. He inspired other writers of fantastic stories to describe their worlds in glorious detail, inventing new worlds, new languages, and new histories. He encouraged readers to journey deep into their imaginations and to create their own magical, enchanting worlds."
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  Sophie Crane

  I learned so much about an author whose works have touched the lives of so many, for so many years . . . . and counting!
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  Reading_ Tamishly

  The best in this series! I effing cried!
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  Lizzi ☾ arsenic.and.old.books

  Great intro for children to Tolkien! I'm also glad they were inclusive of his faith, an essential aspect of his being and influence which other mini bios and docues seem to lack. Very accurate and detailed for such a little book! Well done. I can't wait to read this to my kids.
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  Rebecca

  I learned so much about an author whose works have touched the lives of so many, for so many years . . . . and counting!
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  Tracy

  Great children's history book! Love learning more about the creator of Middle Earth!
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  Pumkin pie

  Now I want to read The Hobbit!
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  Julia ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ

  Have you ever wondered the story behind the great author, JRR Tolkien? Or what troubles he faced writing his famed books The Lord of the Rings? Did you know that JRR Tolkien the author of the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, managed to get his books published thank you to the son of the publisher. And that he was inspired by a poem called Beowulf!
  This nonfictional book “Who Was JRR Tolkien?” explains the biography of the author. Pam Pollack and Meg Belviso did a great job writing this biography. They are also authors of other books from the”Who Was, What is, Where is” series. It is my opinion that this is an easy read for kids 10+, but also for younger readers. A good read for anyone who wants to know about JRR Tolkien.
  JRR Tolkien was born in Africa from English parents. His parents died when he was young. He was then raised by a priest, later going to Oxford were he had a group of friends and met the love of his life Edith Tolkien. His friends and wife inspired him to write the Hobbit. After publishing the Hobbit readers enjoy his book and he follows writing the epic book called The Lord of the Rings. Which was later divided into three parts making it into a trilogy. Tragedy strikes Tolkien in 1971 Edith dies, 61 years after meeting her. 2 years later he also dies making him a legendary author.
  This book is worth reading because it gives you detailed descriptions of Tolkien and his work. I would rate this book 4-5 stars. I enjoyed it because of its good explanations and because The Lord of the Rings is one of my fave books! Definitely I recommend this for both Nonfiction and Fiction readers!
  - Jan 22, 2018
• 
  Heather

  This book is a part of a popular series introducing children to biographies, and this one follows the life of John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, who we have all come to know as J.R.R Tolkien. He was born in South Africa on January 3, 1892. He was a professor at Oxford University, an expert of ancient languages once spoken throughout Europe. He moved to England with his mother and brother, his father staying behind in South Africa. His father died the next before he got to back to South Africa and he never saw the country again. The book features a timeline of all the major events that happened in his life from his birth up until his death.
  
  This children's book doesn't have as many pictures as most children's books might but the pictures it does have are very simple. While it doesn't say how the images were drawn, they seem to be drawn with just ink and have very small details while still staying very simple. The drawings don't follow a pattern as some of them are on the side of the page, some take up the bottom third of the page, and others take up an entire page to themselves. The text is larger than normal but it makes it much easier for children to follow along. The timeline provided of his life also lets little kids see how many things happened in just one glance at it. It's an insightful book that, while it doesn't say everything, it provides just enough knowledge to make the reader feel educated on J.R.R. Tolkien.
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  Emma

  What a guy!
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  Jessika Caruso

  One of the more engaging books in this series I have read, filled with interesting insights and anecdotes about Tolkien's life. Especially great as an introduction to his life. Children of all ages and even adults will find this to be a fantastic read.
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  Earl

  A pretty comprehensive biography of one of the most genius writers of all time. Lots of tidbits that may or may not be well known. I know I learned some new things which made me appreciate his life and his work even more. You really get a sense of how his life inspired many things in his books.
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  David

  4.25
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  Monique S.

  I love the way the books in this series tell the stories of historical and popular figures!
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  April

  A very interesting read. He lead a very full and enriched life.
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  Sally

  Not sure even these kinds of books would have grabbed me as a kid, but I loved it as an adult. Looking forward to others in the series.
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  Cheruv

  Short, children friendly, biographical work about the life of Tolkien, one of my favourite authors.
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  Amy

  Can't resist these little books when my daughter brings them home. They are a fun glimpse into interesting topics.
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  Natalie

  I thought it was appropriate to read this one now, as the past three days I rewatched LOTR for the umpteenth time. I loved learning more about this iconic man. I really didn't know anything. He fought in WWI and helped out during WWII as well. (Also, I was thinking how ridiculously sad it was that people who lived through WWI had to face the horrors of war all over again.)
  
  He lost both his parents by the time he was 12. His mother was the one that got him interested in stories and languages. She taught him Latin.
  
  When he was 18 he and his friends formed a club where they drank tea and discussed poetry. (I don't think we can get more British than that!)
  
  He loved his wife from the time he was 16 but his guardian thought they were too young and separated them. They got together again a couple years later and the guardian again moved them apart and told Tolkien he wasn't allowed to write to her until he was 21. He wrote to her at midnight, the day he turned 21 and found out she was engaged! He flew on the train to meet her and she fell in love with him all over again on the train platform.
  
  I didn't realize that he was the uber-Christian and basically converted C.S. Lewis. I sort of thought it was the other way around, probably because Lewis is the one that wrote all those books about churchy things.
  
  When Tolkien was trying to publish LOTR, which was written more for adults, publishers didn't think adults wanted this fantasy nonsense and it took awhile. Fortunately, Tolkien knew they were wrong.
  
  This was a purely fun read about an author who has brought much happiness to my life and millions of others.
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  Andrew

  Did you know that Tolkien spoke and wrote fluently in Greek, Latin, and Old English?
  Did you know that he was a member of 2 different Fantasy lover groups as a professor?
  Did you know that it took 12 years for Lord of the Rings to be published?
  Did you know that The Hobbit was originally intended for a child audience because before Lord of the Rings, fantasy books were not really a thing for adult readers?
  Did you know that he was friends with Narnia author, C.S. Lewis?
  Did you know that Tolkien was in the military in both World Wars?
  
  Find out more in this bio about the man who created Middle-Earth.
  I love the Who was series. It always does a good honest job of explaining everything that could be questioned, while still not feeling "textbook" in the approach. It also explains the personal lives of each person a little more in depth.
  
  
  For anyone who likes RPG, DND, Creative Writing, languages, Star Wars, C.S. Lewis, fantasy fiction (regardless of what age its intended audience is), thank J.R.R. Tolkien
  
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  Christina

  I bought a few of these Who Is/Was... books on sale for my niece and nephew for Christmas. They’re probably a bit young for my nephew in terms of reading level, but I enjoyed this as an adult, so perhaps he’ll like it, too. Plus, Tolkien is my brother’s favorite author, and I thought (possibly naively) that the kids would be interested in this biography for that reason.
  
  This is a straightforward biography written in chronological order. The author takes care to highlight a few things that influenced the author’s novels, like a postcard of an old man and a deer on a hiking trip in Switzerland that in part inspired Gandalf. The description of fighting in WWI and his feelings about moving to England also suggest the themes of war and nature in his work.
  
  It only took me a half hour to read, but I appreciated the concise overview of Tolkien’s life.
  
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  Socrate

  Adânc în interiorul unui munte singuratic, un dragon doarme pe o movilă de aur. Brusc, se trezește. Cineva a venit să-i fure comoara! Doar un mare războinic ar face ceva atât de curajos și prostesc. Cine îndrăznește să-l provoace?
  Hoțul este curajos, dar nu este un războinic. Este mic și tăcut și are picioarele păroase. El este un hobbit.
  Hobbiții s-au născut într-o zi de vară, în jurul anului 1930, la Oxford, Anglia.
  Prin fereastra deschisă a biroului său din casa de pe Northmoor Road, profesorul John Ronald Reuel Tolkien a simțit mirosul florilor de afară, în timp ce stătea la birou și nota lucrările studenților săi. A fost profesor la celebra Universitate Oxford, un expert în limbile antice vorbite cândva în toată Europa.
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  Brianna Harmon

  I’m stumped at the fact I didn’t know this series of books existed but SO GLAD I found them by accident. Fun overview of J. R. R. Tolkien’s life for young readers, comprehensive, illustrations are adorable, and the timelines in the back rounded off a solid biography. Love all the accompanying storylines of other writers, the familial connections, and notes on his career at Oxford. I didn’t even know what Tolkien’s full name was = I learned something within the first page.
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  Grazie Mille

  I seriously love J.R.R. Tolkien. He wrote some great books, (I adore LOTR) and he just led a very interesting (and may I say nerdy?) life. I just love that his books started out as inventing his own language. I mean, how nerdy is that? I just love it. And besides that, I love how dedicated he was to his wife (writing her a letter at midnight of your birthday? aaah!) and his fans. He seemed a down to earth kind of guy.
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  A

  I really like these "Who Is/Was" series of biographies. While written for a younger audience, I like the "bite size" biographies for learning more about many different people without an investment of a large amount of my time. Specifically, I like learning about "Ronald" Tolkien. Liked finding out that he was so "into" language.