Product Description

Retells the first part of "The Tale of Sir Gareth of Orkney"--one of the most exciting and entertaining of the stories about King Arthur and his knights--which first appeared in Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte D'Arthur. The noble Gareth vanquishes the dreaded Knight of the Red Plain and wins the hand of a fair maiden in this classic for children.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #536521 in Books
• Published on: 1990-08
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 32 pages

From School Library Journal
Grade 3 Up-- While this tale is retold in most adaptations of Arthurian legend, it is not readily available in a single, lavishly illustrated version such as this one. The story is of Gareth of Orkney, Gawaine's brother, who hides his identity to serve a year as a kitchen boy in King Arthur's court, and his quest to the Perilous Gard in the company of Linette, who also hides her identity and reviles him throughout their journey to rescue her sister, Linesse. He falls in love at first distant sight of Linesse, who checks him out by kidnapping his dwarf, but decides he's worthy and agrees to marry him. There is a lot more to the story, of course, and Hodges gets in all the essentials that Malory included, leaving out some unexplained characters and repetitive battles. She also leaves out Gareth's comment that he doesn't listen to women, anyway. Just as well, even though it's a comment appropriate to its time, and quite telling about chivalry. Linesse's testing of a man who saved her life may be understood to be wise in a time when women were kidnapped and treated as property. The loose ends tend to be Malory's own. This does not tell in quite the straight line of Gawaine's adventure with the loathly damsel, told also by Chaucer's Wife of Bath. Hyman's richly romantic illustrations are lush watercolors, framed and broken with framed insets for closeups and framed text inside the panoramic picture. The format is horizontal, capturing the sweep of the story. While not a tale of King Arthur, it's a wonderful taste of Arthurian legend, hopefully whetting young appetites for more. --Helen Gregory, Grosse Pointe Public Library, MI
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
"Dramatic...A beautifully illustrated medieval story." (Booklist )

"A grand tale in a handsome edition." (Kirkus Reviews )

About the Author
Margaret Hodges is a master storyteller who is best-known for her eloquent retellings of folk tales. Some of her works include "Saint George and the Dragon," illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman, a Caldecott Honor books; "The Kitchen Knight: A Tale of King Arthur," also illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman; and "The True Tale of Johnny Appleseed," illustrated by Kimberly Bulcken Root. She lives in Verona, Pennsylvania.

Trina Schart Hyman, a winner of the Caldecott Medal, traveled to Wales to do her research for this book. Among the many titles she has illustrated is an edition of A Christmas Carol, in which she "captures the essence of the work" (Publishers Weekly). About the same title, The New York Times said, "This book is Christmas"

Customer Reviews

Excellent book. Well written and great illustrations.
I bought this book for a report in my British Literature class. The assignment was to find a children's book related to the medieval period. I read it and enjoyed it thoroughly. The text is easy to follow and the pictures are great. Great book for any child, boy or girl.

Kitchen Knight
Excellent book for use during any medieval or knight study. Fourth grade boys in particular would love this book, however, any student in elementary would enjoy the book. The illustrations are very good. Younger students may need the book read to them. Goes along with King Arthur studies and tales.

Great! I never thought a picture book could be my favorite!
It's a great story worthy to be called a classic. The pictures are just as wonderful as the story and complement it very niecly.