Sir Morien: The Legend of a Knight of the Round Table

by Holly Black, Kaliis Smith (Contributor), Ebony Glenn (Contributor)

Sir Morien sets off from Africa in search of his father, and meets Sir Gawain and Sir Lancelot who invite him to join their quest.

Genres: Picture Books, Adventure, Fantasy, Childrens, Fairy Tales, Arthurian, Humor

40 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2023

About the author

Holly Black is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of over thirty fantasy novels for kids and teens. She has been a finalist for an Eisner Award and the Lodestar Award, and the recipient of the Mythopoeic Award, a Nebula, and a Newbery Honor. Her books have been translated into 32 languages worldwide and adapted for film. She currently lives in New England with her husband and son in a house with a secret library.

Reviews

[Ben Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked Sir Morien: The Legend of a Knight of the Round Table because it's Holly Black and I'll read anything she puts out. This is a beautifully illustrated picture book about Sir Morien and his quest to search for his father, on which me meets and befriends two members of the round table. It's a fun and short tale.

[Remco Sleiderink · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wauw. Wat een verrassing. Een Engelstalig prentenboek voor 4- tot 8-jarigen gebaseerd op de Middelnederlandse Moriaen! ‘Bestselling author’ Holly Black, Kaliis Smith en Ebony Glenn namen volgens de ‘authors’ note’ enkele vrijheden in deze hervertelling en ook die aanpassingen verrassen: Moriaens mama is een avontuurlijke zwaardvechter, hij geen halve wilde, en vooral: hij wordt niet geconfronteerd met mensen die bang voor hem zijn louter omdat hij een andere kleur heeft. En dat is fijn: dit boek wil vooral vieren dat ook een Afrikaanse jongen deel kan zijn van de wereld van Arthur. Dit boek bevestigt de canonieke status van ‘onze’ Moriaen in de Engelstalige wereld. Hoog tijd voor een come-back van deze zwarte ridder, ook in het Nederlands.

[Marte bontinck]

Even inhaalmanoeuvre doen voor de blok begint

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am horrendously upset I only learned about the existence of a Middle-Dutch Arthurian story about a black knight for the first time today. I plan to read the original text very soon . This was a cute children's book. (I also spotted a LoTR reference I think :) )

[Jame_EReader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you @tbrbeyondtours @littlebrownyoungreaders for having my kids and I on this booktour.

👦🏻 review: I love King Arthur’s story and this illustration book of Prince Morien has added more depth to the story. The books I have read only put small details of Sir Morien but this one gave me some great information about him. The images and colors are lively and the flow of the story is very good. I like this book because it is easy to read, funny and goofy, brave and entertaining. I am sure the smaller kids will definitely enjoy it too.

[Debby Tiner · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute children’s book that tells a lesser-known Round Table story. Having studied Sir Gawain and the Green Knight for an English class in the past, it was a delight to see him here.

My favorite scene was when Sir Morien got the last crumpet.

The art was super cute and I loved all the sharp edges.

[Eris Tiner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute book with the message of friendship. I regrettably do not know a lot about the knights of the round table. So having this small book depict the journey of Sir Morien on the quest to find his father was a great introduction.

[Oscar · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is about three knights. I like it because it is funny.

[Gwendalyn Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sir Morien: The Legend of a Knight of the Round Table

𝐓𝐈𝐓𝐋𝐄: Sir Morien: The Legend of a Knight of the Round Table
𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑: Holly Black and Kaliis Smith
𝐏𝐔𝐁𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐑: Little Brown Young Readers
𝐏𝐔𝐁 𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄: ⁣October 24, 2023
Thank you @tbrbeyondtours @littlebrownyoungreaders for having me on this book tour!
⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣{⁣𝐒𝐘𝐍𝐎𝐏𝐒𝐈𝐒}⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
Full of humor, drama, and adventure, this retelling of a little-known figure of Arthurian Legend,
co-written by friends Kaliis Smith and #1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black, is perfect
for any knight in training.
Prince Morien was brave and clever and true…
The brave North African knight Morien is on a quest to find his father, who had set off on an
adventure of his own and never returned. But every knight he meets wants to fight! At first, Morien
is determined to best them all, until he meets some knights willing to quest with him. Together, they
discover not only the importance of friendship, but also Morien’s long-lost father!
•✦ —🍂—✦•
⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣{𝐇𝐀𝐒𝐇𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐒}
#SirMorienTheLegendOfAKnightOfTheRoundTable #TBRBeyondTours
#HollyBlack #KaliisSmith

{𝐌𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒}
Sir Morien: The Legend of a Knight of the Round Table by Holly Black and Kaliis Smith, is a delightful adaptation of a 13th-century Arthurian tale. The book captures young children attention by using bold colors and wonderful graphics. Having known the tale of Sir M’orienta of the Knights of the Roundtable, made this book an added bonus. For those who don’t know the epic tale of Sir Morien, written into Celtic Arthurian canon in the 1200s and contemporaneous with the tales of Sir Galahad this will be a special treat for you and young readers. I going to gift several young people this delightfully whimsical book.

[pineapple tofu · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s a tale of friendships. A tale of qwesting. And a tale of adventure. Morien, a young lad who lives with his mother, who is a princess of Northern Africa, battles dragons and eats every vegetable on the table, wonders where his father is. So, he begins his adventure, fighting with other knights along the way until he meets two knights who wat to help him. The travel through the rain, and share some meals, but will they be able to save Morien’s father before it’s too late?
An immensely enjoyable read of a knight of the round table, during the time of King Arthur. Morien loves adventuring and decides to find his father, Sir Aglovale. With the help of Sir Gawain and Sir Lancelot, Morien finally has the chance to prove himself worthy of a knight. Readers will love this delightful picture book, as it shows how one can even become a legend.

[Patricia N. McLaughlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Raised by his mother in North Africa, Morien comes of age by setting forth on a quest to find his long-lost father. Along the way, he perfects the many skills he learned from his super mom by fighting adversaries, the greatest of whom is Sir Lancelot, who cross swords to a draw. The two team up with Sir Gawain to quest together, rescuing King Arthur of Round Table fame and finally solving the mystery of Morien’s father’s whereabouts. As the preamble states, some “liberties” were taken in this retelling, which is simplified to the point of reducing Morien to little more than another run-of-the-mill action hero. Seems like Morien had a better life with his mother, doing good and having daring adventures, rather than competing with the Round Table Knights for King Arthur’s favor. Cartoonish illustrations feature plenty of action that will appeal to knights in training.

[Iain Hawkes · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is kind of my "old man yells at cloud" moment, but this bugged me. As in:

-Morien meets an elf in his search for his father. Didn't think elves were part of Arthurian mythology, but okay. 0_0 (Is she meant to be Nimue?)

-Why are terms like "England" used? If King Arthur ever existed, the generally agreed on period would be after the Romans left Britain (or Albion), but before the Saxon invasion. The term "England," however, came into vogue in the 11th century at the earliest.

-Taking a note from Monty Python, every single knight sans Sir Morien is an chauvanistic idiot. :(

Of course, none of these are real issues, I mean, it's a kid's book, it's not being read for historical accuracy or anything. And as a kid's book, it's fine. Irked my Arthurian-obsessed brain, but as a kid's book, it's fine. Artwork is pretty decent as well.

[Kim Wilch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who knew? I love children's books where I learn as much as the child. I've only heard of King Arthur and Sir Lancelot so it was interesting to learn more about the rest of the group.

How Morien, Gawain, and Lancelot became fast friends was evident in the humorous banter. The authors nailed the "manly" and aggressive dialogue with a comical aspect. I could easily see young men teasing each other like this! The illustrations are vivid and entertaining, they certainly showcase the story and help bring it to life. Bravery, friendship, family, and teamwork are among the morals depicted in the story. We enjoyed this educational yet delightful story, and would recommend it to kids and adults alike.

[Nicole Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a digital ARC of this book from the publisher for my honest opinion.

Morien lives in North Africa with his mother and decides one day to go on a quest to find his father. Along the way he runs into some Knights of the Round Table and hijinks ensues as they hunt for Morien’s father and King Aurthur himself. Yes, this is co-written by that Holly Black and it’s great. I loved the idea (and probably reality) of knights wanting to fight constantly and a funny interpretation of Sir Lancelot and Sir Gawain. A great book all around and a wonderful introduction to non-white Knight of the Round Table.

[John Mullarkey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an adaptation of the legend of Sir Morien by Holly Black that is a great story to share with a young (and older!) audience. It is a heroic tale that is adventurous, entertaining, and funny - nothing like an ongoing competition between two of King Arthur's legendary knights. The artwork by Ebony Glenn perfectly compliments the tale - it is lively and colorful. On a character level, the story demonstrates virtue and teamwork - two elements of being a knight that are a part of the Arthurian Legend suitable to all heroes.

[Panda Incognito · Rating 5 out of 5]

This picture book reimagines an Arthurian legend with style and humor, and the ending is heartwarming. I liked this a lot, and even though I kept expecting the author to take a preachy stance against the men's physically aggressive competitions, she never did! I love how this book embraces the characters' competitive natures with fun and humor instead of trying to teach a heavy-handed lesson. I really enjoyed this cute and funny story, and I would recommend it to kids and adults.

[Susan Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's by Holly Black. It's perfect by definition. An added benefit is that Sir Morien is a POC. I don't know the original myth-- but apparently there was a Knight of the Round Table who originally hailed from North Africa, Sir Aglovale. This story of his son Sir Morien is perfect. And the illustrations are
fun and sassy. And the story has a tiny bit of attitude. Which is why kids will love it.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a sucker for the Arthurian Legend, and this lesser known story was fun to see brought to life. The text is crisp and tight and begs to be read aloud. The illustrations are digitally rendered but in a pleasant and unoffensive way. Sir Morien is the Moorish son of one of Arthur's knights who journeys to England and encounters various knightly quests on the way.

[Erin (bookwitchenergy) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had never heard of Morien before this book (which is a bit shocking considering how much I've studied Arthurian lore), but I'm thrilled to have learned of him at long last! A grand huzzah for the Moorish Knight of the Round Table, a well-kept secret no longer! Cheers to this team of writers and illustrator for bringing this beautiful story to life!

[A.J. Eversole · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun adventure. The illustrations and dialogue bubbles bring an extra humor to round out the story world.

This also does a great service to Authruian legends in pointing out the Knights connections to North Africa, opening up the world and normalizing how connected the histories of these places can be.

[Haley Kilgour · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I didn’t know Morien was a knight of the round table, so it was super cool to learn his story.

And I do give props for the authors choosing a lesser known knight to write a story about.

The artwork was excellent.

And I think the themes of friendship and teamwork were well depicted.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was very cute and obviously I had to read it because Holly Black wrote it, even if it's a children's book. I don't really have much to say other than I'm very curious about reading a more acurate/adult version of this tale.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Arthurian legend and I love that the book follows Sir Morien on his adventures since he's typically a lesser known character. The art style uses bold colors and modern designs to captivate the reader. A wonderful tale of family, friendship and adventure.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this lovely adaptation of a thirteenth-century Arthurian romance, young Morien is on a quest to find his father, Lord Aglovale. An appealing picture book that will be enjoyed by readers who appreciate stories about King Arthur and his knights.

[Whitney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Art work is great, but I don't love that he just abandons his mom. After Morien goes on his quest, we never hear about her again, other than "he's homesick". Woman already lost her husband with no clue what happened to him and now her son abandons her, too.

[Pam Page · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun "knight" story that includes humor, adventure, and great art. Kids will love the unique feature of speech bubbles!

[Carol Gordon Ekster · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun read aloud with strong verbs, humor and a story kids will enjoy. Colorful illustrations make this a great picture book to share.

[Dolores · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holly Black makes a foray into the world of picture books with this fun retelling of an Arthurian legend.

[Kelly]

I will admit to not knowing this story. I think the authors were going for funny, and it softly was.

[Kathryn · Rating 2 out of 5]

A meh story of friendship