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Tales of King Arthur
Who was King Arthur? Do you think the stories are true? Read for yourself.
- GenresRetellingsChildrens
80 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
June 24, 2015
has anyone watched merlin?
August 28, 2024
I wanted to like this, because the illustrations were stunning and expressive, and the writing style simple yet painterly. Also, I loved their book on world mythology!
I guess the main thing is my reluctance to share this with a child. In the first story, Merlin is complicit in helping Uther r*pe Igraine. It doesn’t say that, of course—it’s a children’s book after all—but you know what’s happening.
Also the story of Lancelot and Guinevere…well, it’s adultery, but it’s kind of portrayed in too positive a light for me to recommend this to a younger audience.
I know the original Arthurian legends aren’t squeaky clean, but I guess it just threw me because of the intended audience.
Some great Arthurian books for children include:
-King Arthur by Philip Edwards
-Tales of King Arthur by Felicity Brooks
-Howard Pyle’s entire series
I guess the main thing is my reluctance to share this with a child. In the first story, Merlin is complicit in helping Uther r*pe Igraine. It doesn’t say that, of course—it’s a children’s book after all—but you know what’s happening.
Also the story of Lancelot and Guinevere…well, it’s adultery, but it’s kind of portrayed in too positive a light for me to recommend this to a younger audience.
I know the original Arthurian legends aren’t squeaky clean, but I guess it just threw me because of the intended audience.
Some great Arthurian books for children include:
-King Arthur by Philip Edwards
-Tales of King Arthur by Felicity Brooks
-Howard Pyle’s entire series
November 4, 2017
TALES OF KING ARTHUR sets out to do the impossible: Condense many of the fables of King Arthur into one 80-page hardcover. It's clearly aimed at a younger audience, but the tales collected here are told well through a combination of tight writing and beautiful illustrations.
What you won't find in TALES are frills. Each tale pulls you in, but the drawback to the book's short length is an absence of fine details. Some characters, such as Merlin, drop in and out with little to no explanation of their whereabouts. Again, though, TALES is not meant to definitive. Think of it more as an appetizer, and a tasty one that does a fantastic job of presenting a "just the facts, ma'am" telling of a dozen or so legends.
What you won't find in TALES are frills. Each tale pulls you in, but the drawback to the book's short length is an absence of fine details. Some characters, such as Merlin, drop in and out with little to no explanation of their whereabouts. Again, though, TALES is not meant to definitive. Think of it more as an appetizer, and a tasty one that does a fantastic job of presenting a "just the facts, ma'am" telling of a dozen or so legends.
October 16, 2024
Read with Jo. not great.
January 19, 2015
This is a collection of retellings with exquisite color illustrations throughout. I purchased this book at Hastings for $3.29 (with my discount), and feel so fortunate to have it. I think it is a beautiful collection, definitely worthy and almost necessary for any teacher's classroom, probably 4th grade through 8th. The collections entail the central stories of King Arthur and have a noticeable thread throughout--with the symbolic mentioning of Excalibur in the beginning, in several of the stories in the middle and then, again, at the end. The mighty sword came to Arthur in the beginning of his role as the Pendragon and left him at the end of his reign.
Readers will see 3-5 page length stories in this collection from "The Sword in the Stone" to "Gawain and the Green Knight," to "Lancelot" and finally to "Morgana and Mordred." A lovely Epilogue leaves readers with the reminder of King Arthur's intent to leave peace and unity behind for his beloved country.
Readers will see 3-5 page length stories in this collection from "The Sword in the Stone" to "Gawain and the Green Knight," to "Lancelot" and finally to "Morgana and Mordred." A lovely Epilogue leaves readers with the reminder of King Arthur's intent to leave peace and unity behind for his beloved country.
January 5, 2014
What a beautiful book! It presents some of the greatest Arthurian legends succinctly and engagingly. This book is a perfect way to introduce younger readers to King Arthur. I really appreciate how some of the darker stories are presented in a way that is tactful without losing their significance. Also, the illustrations are gorgeous!
May 15, 2021
This version was much easier to read than the last one I just listened to by Howard Pyle. It flows in a chronological sequence that made more sense and the scattered tales in Pyle's collection. Since the Callahans had just read it I came up with a scavenger hunt based on each chapter for the boys. It was fun!
March 7, 2008
I bought this for my son's birthday, and he loves the stories of King Arthur and Excalibur. I am reading the Mists of Avalon right now which is also an Arthurian story and the differences are very interesting.
April 9, 2013
the best story in this book is the soward and the stone
July 26, 2016
Great retelling with beautiful illustrations.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews