In this enchanting version of the story of King Arthur, the renowned American illustrator and storyteller Howard Pyle displays his unique talent for capturing and stimulating the imaginations of the young. Inventively retold and vividly illustrated, these stories describe the perilous and thrilling adventures of King Arthur and his knights in that glorious age of chivalry and honor. <BR>After showing how Arthur established his right to the throne by drawing the sword from the anvil, the author then relates the story of Arthur's battle with the Sable Knight and his securing the sword Excalibur ― «the most beautiful and the most famous sword in all the world.» He tells of Arthur's confrontations with the Duke of North Umber and Sir Pellias, describes King Arthur's wooing and wedding the Lady Guinevere, and tells of the establishment of the Round Table. Tales are told, too, of Arthur's knights, including Merlin the Wise, Sir Pellias (or the Gentle Knight) and of course, Sir Gawaine. One of the key points in the book is Arthur's search for the answer to the riddle «What is it that a woman most desires?» with his life at stake. <BR>This is the definitive children's version of the Arthurian legend, for generations a special favorite with youngsters of all ages. Its reputation, richly deserved, rests as much upon the illustrations as on the delightful tales themselves. And no wonder, for as an illustrator of children's books, Pyle had no peer. Bold and unforgettable as only Pyle's skilled hand could make them, these drawings convey at a glance the whole aura of that splendid age and help to make this a book that boys and girls will cherish for years to come. <BR>These stories have inspired numerous film adaptations, including the 2017 release <I>King Arthur: Legend of the Sword</I>, directed by Guy Ritchie and starring Charlie Hunnam, Jude Law, Eric Bana, Djimon Hounsou, and Annabelle Wallis.
After concluding the fourteenth volume of his popular series, L. Frank Baum returned to the land of Oz in 1914 with six short stories featuring Dorothy, Toto, and other beloved characters. Written for slightly younger readers, these hard-to-find tales offer a fine introduction to Baum's enchanted world.Featured stories include «The Cowardly Lion and the Hungry Tiger,» «Little Dorothy and Toto,» «Tiktok and the Nome King,» «Ozma and the Little Wizard,» «Jack Pumpkinhead and the Sawhorse,» and «The Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman.» This facsimile edition re-creates the charm of the original, including its distinctive blue type and more than 40 full-color illustrations.
Soils and national characteristics differ, but fairy tales are the same in plot and incidents the world over. So proved the leading British folklorist Joseph Jacobs (1854–1916) with this now classic volume of 29 traditional tales from India, including some of the oldest recorded tales known."The Lion and the Crane," «How the Raja's Son Won the Princess Labam,» «The Broken Pot,» «The Tiger, the Brahman, and the Jackal,» «The Talkative Tortoise,» «The Ass in the Lion's Skin,» «Why the Fish Laughed,» «Sun, Moon, and Wind Go Out to Dinner,» «The Prince and the Fakir,» and all the other stories make delightful reading or listening for youngsters who are tired of the same familiar old favorites. John D. Batten's nine full-page plates and his 37 other drawings are reproduced from the original edition.
A lot of people wonder what's on the other side of the moon. Young David — a dreamy young boy — actually finds out. To get there, he has to walk on a shimmering moon-beam — a rather daunting experience at first, but made easier with the help of the Moon-Angel. Once there, he meets the Man-in-the-Moon, discovers a magical garden, battles a terrible giant, and brings lost treasures back to Earth.Well known for his stories of King Arthur and Robin Hood, Howard Pyle transports young readers to a different time and place in this beautifully told tale. It's an unforgettable faraway world — where children play and no one ever cries. The book, says author Elizabeth Nesbitt, «makes Pyle a peer of the classic writers in the field of fantasy.»
Located somewhere in «a world apart,» just beyond the reach of current navigational tools, lies the land of the Snergs, a haven for countless neglected children, all of whom are watched over by maternal women. Also inhabited by a sturdy race of generous people no taller than the average table, the realm is surrounded by a forest occupied by friendly bears.Into this unusual kingdom come Joe and Sylvia, two youngsters who have slipped away from home in search of excitement and adventure. They get more than enough of both as they come upon the children, as well as kings, knights, an evil witch, and a cap of invisibility (which doesn't seem to work.) Accompanied by Gordo, a dwarfish Snerg with a reputation for being a lovable klutz, the trio leapfrogs from one fantastic adventure to another.Tolkien called this forgotten classic a «sourcebook» for The Hobbit. A whimsical delight for readers of all ages, this E. A. Wyke-Smith's enthralling adventures is must-reading for any Rings fan.
This captivating book offers young readers a memorable and meaningful introduction to the famous leaders and great men of ancient Rome. Its biographical sketches are chronologically arranged, from 753 B.C., the estimated founding of Rome, to A. D. 476, the fall of the Western Empire. Readers can compare and contrast the characters of these great men and see how their actions and ideas influenced Rome and the world.The 30 chapters start with the legend of the orphans Romulus and Remus, who were raised by a wolf, and grew up to found the Eternal City. Children also meet a fascinating variety of actual historical figures, including Cincinnatus, who chose to be a farmer instead of a dictator, Nero, the mad emperor, and the warlike Julius Caesar. They'll encounter Marcus Aurelius, the emperor who used his own money to help the poor, and who walked the streets, greeting people and listening to their troubles so that he could be a better leader. Geared toward third- to seventh-graders, Famous Men of Ancient Rome is excellent both for reading aloud and for independent reading and study by students.
From the founding editor of Everyman's Library comes this enthralling illustrated collection of thirty-three fairy tales to please children of all ages—and the parents who read to them. Favorite English characters such as Dick Whittington, Jack the Giant Killer, and King Arthur appear alongside Tom Thumb, Chicken-Licken, and other figures from the wider world of folklore. Young readers will be spellbound by tales of an orphan who rises from scullery boy to Mayor of London with the aid of his cat, how a worm becomes the scourge of Britain, and of the beanstalk that helps a young man avenge his father's death and find his fortune. Children will also be thrilled to meet «The Green Knight,» «The Princess of Colchester,» and «The Giant of Saint Michael's.» Plus, this treasury includes a beautiful array of full-color plates.
Twenty delightful tales from Germany, China, France, Wales, England, Japan, and other lands tell of dragons fierce, friendly, and loving. Includes «The Last of the Dragons,» «The Two Brothers and the Forty-Nine Dragons,» «The Legend of the Viking's Cave,» «The Story of St. George and the Dragon,» and others.
Generations of children have fallen down the rabbit hole with the little girl in the pinafore, to return again and again to Wonderland. Translated into more than one hundred languages, this captivating fantasy has enchanted readers of all ages around the world. This new edition of Alice's adventures offers a fresh look at the time-honored tale, featuring an abundance of exuberant illustrations in the elegant style of Art Nouveau.Willy Pogány, a prolific Hungarian-born artist best known for his illustrations of classic myths and legends, created these striking drawings in 1929. Pogány's intricate black-and-white images retain the story's playful spirit while injecting a zesty modern air to depictions of the White Rabbit, the Queen of Hearts, the Mad Hatter, and other fantastical characters. This restoration of Pogány's long out-of-print illustrations offers a fine introduction to a classic tale, as well as splendid addition to the collections of those already acquainted with Alice's adventures.
Each of the 27 captivating tales in this rich collection, passed down from generation to generation, long ago provided an evening's entertainment and instruction for Sioux youngsters sitting spellbound around the campfire. Shortened and simplified for young readers and listeners of today, the stories include creation myths, animal fables reminiscent of Aesop, and stories of brave heroes, beautiful princesses, wicked witches, cruel giants, and other universal characters. In these stories, however, the characters unmistakably belong to the fascinating world of the Plains Indians.Among the memorable tales in this collection are «The Buffalo and the Field-Mouse,» «The Raccoon and the Bee-Tree,» «Unktomee and His Bundle of Songs,» «The Festival of the Little People,» «The Little Boy Man,» «The First Battle,» «The Beloved of the Sun,» «The Laugh-Maker,» «The Girl Who Married the Star,» «North Wind and Star Boy,» «The Magic Arrows,» «The Ghost-Wife,» and 15 more. Chosen by Charles A. Eastman, who was raised as a Sioux in the 1870s and 1880s, the tales include such unforgettable characters as Unktomee, the sly one (much like Br'er Fox of the Uncle Remus stories); Chanotedah (an Indian brownie or gnome); and the cannibal giants Eya and Double-Face. Young readers and students of Native American legend and lore will delight in these authentic, time-honored stories.