The novel tells the story of a boy, born in the western coastal jungles of equatorial Africa to a marooned couple from England, John and Alice (Rutherford) Clayton, Lord and Lady Greystoke. Most people are generally familiar with the story of Tarzan, but with all the many take offs, the original story may not be as well known. Normally, I prefer to read the real thing, even if doing read alouds for the boys, rather than abridgements and adaptations, but this one, based on Tarzan of the Apes, originally published in 1914, was given to us. As a child, I dearly adored the old Tarzan movies, and for me, Johnny Weismuller WAS Tarzan (even though one might question watching a man clad only in a loincloth swinging through the trees)! However, I had never read any of the Tarzan books until now. Tarzan of the Apes (originally published in 1914 abridged and adaptedīy Robert Blaisdell, and published in 1997 as a Dover Children’s Thrift Classic by Dover Publications, Inc., 31 E.

Reading level: Intended for grades 3 – 6 (ages 8 – 11), but suitable for anyone (younger children with editing)įor more information e-mail Edgar Rice. Language level: 3 (some taking the Lord’s name in vain) Author: Edgar Rice Burroughs (abridged and adapted by Robert Blaisdell)

Tarzan and the apes