Tales of King Arthur: King Arthur and the Round Table (Books of Wonder) [Hardcover]

Hudson Talbott (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: Books of Wonder

As a lad of only sixteen years, Arthur pulled the sword from the stone and thus became High King of all Britain. But scarcely has he begun to arrange his court when twelve of the country's lesser kings, jealous of Arthur's glory, declare war on him.

Culminating in the Battle of Bedegraine, this war is fateful in more ways than one--for not only does it secure Arthur's place among his people, it also unites his destiny with that of Lady Guinevere.

In this, the second volume of his Tales of King Arthur series, Hudson Talbott masterfully retells the saga of Arthur's early days as leader of Britain, his building of Camelot, and the dedication of the Round Table--a unique brotherhood of knights devoted to unity and peace.

Hudson Talbott's thrilling text and dazzling paintings bring this tale of heroism, romance, and pageantry to life. The scenes of daring battle and the splendor of Arthur's court are re, produced here in glorious full color for readers to turn to again and again.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-4?Talbott began retelling Sir Thomas Malory's Morte D'Arthur with King Arthur: The Sword in the Stone (Morrow, 1991). This sequel contains roughly three episodes. The first is that of the civil wars raging through Britain. Arthur fights, views the desolation, and asks Merlin how to unify his people. The second is his fateful meeting with Guinevere, his love for her, and finally their marriage. The third section concerns the Round Table, but ends after Arthur assembles his knights around it and their names magically appear on the backs of their chairs. There is no lingering on the peace-bringing quality that roundness supplies. The rich watercolor tableaux, predominantly double-page spreads, paint war as bloody and painful, not all glorious. The love scenes glow golden. The Round Table, huge and decorated with the signs of the zodiac, exhibits its power more than the words do. Overall, this is a rousing addition to the current pickings of Arthurian stories.?Helen Gregory, Grosse Pointe Public Library, MI
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

A swift, almost frantic, second volume in the Tales of King Arthur series, covering Arthur's battles with rebellious nobles, the meeting with Guinevere as she tends wounded upon Bedegraine's battlefield, the vanquishing of King Ryence, marriage to Guinevere, and dedication of the Round Table. It's quite a bite for a picture book, and a spirited production at that, with armies riding on horseback, swarming festivities, the wizard Merlin conjuring a fire-breathing dragon from the Round Table, plus an intense romance, all brought alive by Talbott's dramatic, cinematic watercolors. The story is rushed, a saga hitched to a rocket, hurling readers from battle to love story, back to battle, to a pining Arthur, back to battle, and then to Camelot, all without chance to appreciate the events in their entirety. Younger children will find it too hurried to take in, and older ones may move on, instead, to novel-size retellings. (Kirkus Reviews) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (September 27, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688113400
• ISBN-13: 978-0688113407
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 9.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #852,626 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "May the Bonds of our Brotherhood Inspire our Service to Humanity...", March 24, 2006

By 

R. M. Fisher "Raye" (New Zealand = Middle Earth!) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Tales of King Arthur: King Arthur and the Round Table (Books of Wonder) (Hardcover)

I'm honestly very surprised to see that there are (at the time of this review) no other recommendations written for this wonderful book, as that usually means that people aren't compelled to write about it - or haven't had the chance to get hold of it. Hudson Talbott's King Arthur series (beginning with "The Sword in the Stone" and continuing on with "Excalibur") are excellent introductions for the younger reader to the legends of King Arthur and the dense mythology that surrounds him.

Though it may be a tad complicated for younger readers, with the subtleties of romance and the strategies of war explored in reasonable detail, it is still great Arthurian reading for the older ones, especially in Talbott's touching insecurity of Arthur as he struggles to lead men who: "have *grandsons* older than me!" Talbott's early Arthur is a delight - nervous, love-struck, inexperienced, and yet brave, determined, fiery in battle and devoted to his cause. Often authors downplay either Arthur's strengths or his weaknesses, but Talbott finds the perfect balance between the two, and as such presents the quintessential Arthur.

"King Arthur and the Round Table" chronicles several crucial events in the young king's life - his skirmishes with rebel kings that reject his claim to the throne, his fateful meeting with his future queen Guinevere, and the founding of Camelot and the Round Table. It is obviously the middle-installment of a trilogy as it neither begins anything nor resolves anything, yet it is gloriously illustrated and loyally told - though with a few original flourishes of Talbott's own.

At a stage when most authors are attempting to find increasingly "new" takes on the Arthurian stories, Talbott is refreshingly traditionalist in his portrayal of people and places; presenting it all through rose-coloured glasses as a fully romanticised Golden Age of the medieval era. Everyone here is as you'd expect them to be, from Merlin in his purple robes and conical hat to Arthur himself; a heroic vision in gold and red, with a white steed and shining sword - every little boy's dream of medieval magnificence. Likewise it's easy to see why Arthur was so immediately smitten with golden-haired, sweet-faced Guinevere. The Round Table is the perfect vision of unity and mystery, and as for Camelot itself...it's simply glorious, as captured by Talbott in the evening light.

Only battle is appropriately portrayed as bloody and tragic, with darkened (through exciting) scenes of combat and sieges, resulting in a gory scene of the post-battlefield. This however is perhaps Talbott's most beautiful picture, considering the vision of Guinevere aiding the wounded by the lakeshore, watched from afar by Arthur. It is a heartbreakingly poignant scene if one is aware of their future together, and though their meeting is an original creation by Talbott, it feels so *right* in both its innocence and foreshadowing.

I mentioned before that other authors are going to increasing lengths to create new ways of telling the Arthurian stories, and one that often pops up is the conflict between Christianity and Paganism. Talbott has an answer for this too; in another of his gorgeous two-page vistas we see the marriage of Arthur and Guinevere, awash in golden light and flanked by a Catholic priest with a crucifix and Merlin with an oak branch. It is stunning scene of hope and peace, where differing religions, genders and kingdoms are presumed to be in harmony, not conflict.

The more I discuss it the more I realise that this is a simply gorgeous book, and must-have for any young Arthurian fan.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonder Introduction to King Arthur, February 11, 2010

By 

Picky Mom (Indianapolis) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Tales of King Arthur: King Arthur and the Round Table (Books of Wonder) (Hardcover)

Each of the books in this collection by Hudson Talbott is excellent. My 5 year old son developed an interest in knights after a visit to Medieval Times. From there, he discovered King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Of the many books we have on this topic, there are the best written. The illustrations are wonderful. I highly recommend the entire collection.