MERLIN AND THE MAKING OF THE KING
adapted by Margaret Hodges & illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman
A perfectly beautiful small volume by the wizardly team of Hodges and Hyman. What is magical about this retelling of three stories in the Arthurian legend is that the language is simple and lucid enough for young children without diluting the power of the telling. Hodges bases her text on the Winchester manuscript of Sir Thomas Malory, and Hyman credits both the Luttrell Psalter and the Farnese Hours with her inspiration. No matter: what young readers will see is each page bordered in illuminations of flowers, strawberries, holly, and each picture reflecting the tale as it is told in images as rich and limpid as the text. The first tells of Arthur’s parentage and birth, and his pulling of Excalibur from the stone, and his coronation. The second of his marriage to Guinevere, the treachery of Morgan le Fay, and the power of Excalibur. The third recounts Arthur’s last battle and his journey to Avalon. A wonderful addition to the inexhaustible riches of Camelot. (Folklore. 6-10)