Bistri vitez Don Quijote od Manche

Alonso Quijano, an elderly nobleman from La Mancha, has become so engrossed in chivalric novels that he goes mad and thinks he is a knight-errant himself. He renames himself Don Quixote of La Mancha, equips himself with old armor, takes his skinny horse Rocinante and the peasant girl Aldonza (whom he declares his lady Dulcinea de Toboso) and sets out into the world in search of adventure and justice.

Accompanied by the faithful peasant Sancho Panza, who becomes his squire, Don Quixote experiences a series of comic and tragic adventures: he fights windmills thinking they are giants, attacks flocks of sheep as armies, frees "prisoners" who are actually thieves, and gets into fights with innkeepers, monks and shepherds. Each adventure ends in defeat or ridicule, but Don Quixote never loses faith in his ideal of chivalry, honor and love.

The novel is a profound satire on chivalric novels and idealized reality, but also a touching story about a man who dreams of a better world amidst rudeness and cynicism. Sancho Panza represents reality and common sense, Don Quixote – pure imagination and nobility.

This edition is shortened to key episodes (the first part of the novel, with an emphasis on the most famous scenes), with simple language, explanations and illustrations – perfect for elementary and high school students. The book teaches us that dreams are not funny, even when the world laughs at us, and that being "mad" with nobility is sometimes nobler than being "smartly" realistic.