Synopsis
A thousand years ago, in the Celtic kingdoms of Wales, great lords gave great feasts for their fighting men and courtiers. In timbered halls, for days on end, heaps of meat and bread were washed down with gallons of beer and mead. And in between the meals, when bellies were stuffed and spirits high, the storyteller rose and spun his tales of times long past.
He told of lords, bold and generous. He told of ladies, grand and glorious. He told of friends, brave and faithful. But of all he told about, no friend was more reliable than Manawydan, son of Llyr. No lady was more admirable than Rhiannon. And no lord was more honorable than Pwyll, King of Dyfed.
The halls are now long gone -- yet some tales were written down and gathered in a book we call today The Mabinogion. And so the tales live on. . . .
For ages 10 and up. Not illustrated!
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Aaron Shepard is the award-winning author of "The Baker's Dozen," "The Sea King's Daughter," "Lady White Snake," and many more children's books. His stories have appeared often in Cricket magazine, while his Web site is known internationally as a prime resource for folktales, storytelling, and reader's theater. Once a professional storyteller, Aaron specializes in lively retellings of folktales and other traditional literature, which have won him honors from the American Library Association, the New York Public Library, the Bank Street College of Education, the National Council for the Social Studies, and the American Folklore Society.
Cover artist Suzanne Hankins has illustrated frequently for Cricket, Spider, and other popular children's magazines.
From the Inside Flap
THE SKYHOOK WORLD CLASSICS SERIES BY AARON SHEPARD
#1 ~ THE MOUNTAIN OF MARVELS: A Celtic Tale of Magic, Retold from The Mabinogion. The story of the magical lady Rhiannon, the king who loved her, and the magician who hated and aimed to destroy them.
#2 ~ THE SONGS OF POWER: A Finnish Tale of Magic, Retold from the Kalevala. In a story born in the time of shamans, two magical heroes vie for the hand of a maiden and wind up battling her mother, whose powers rival their own.
#3 ~ THE MAGIC FLYSWATTER: A Superhero Tale of Africa, Retold from the Mwindo Epic. Mwindo's father, the chief, never wanted a son and tries to get rid of him -- but Mwindo has other ideas, as well as the powers to make them happen.
#4 ~ THE MONKEY KING: A Superhero Tale of China, Retold from The Journey to the West. From a comic epic about one of the most popular characters of all time. When Monkey decides he wants to become a god, Heaven had better watch out!
#5 ~ THE SWAN KNIGHT: A Medieval Legend, Retold from Wagner's "Lohengrin." In a boat pulled by a swan, a knight arrives to rescue and marry a duke's daughter -- but only if she promises never to ask his name.
OTHER CHAPTER BOOKS BY AARON
THE MAN WHO SANG TO GHOSTS: A Japanese Legend, Retold from the Story of Hoichi and Based on "The Tale of the Heike." A blind bard meets the ghostly heroes of his own songs.
TIMOTHY TOLLIVER AND THE BULLY BASHER. A modern retelling of the Golem legend. Fourth-grade inventor Timothy Tolliver finds a way to bring his robot to life to protect him and his friend from bullies -- if only now he can keep it under control.
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