The Kitchen Knight: A Tale of King Arthur - Hardcover

Hodges, Margaret

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 082340787X ISBN 13: 9780823407873

Publisher: Holiday House, 1990

Synopsis

Here noble Gareth, King Arthur's nephew is knighted by Sir Lancelot, vanquishes the dreaded knight of the Red Plain, and wins the hand of a fair maiden.

About this title

About the Author:

Margaret Hodges (1911-2005) was a distinguished children's book writer particularly known for her retelling of traditional folk tales. Her past titles include Saint George and the Dragon, The True Tale of Johnny Appleseed, and Up the Chimney. Her title Merlin and the Making of the King received many starred reviews.

One of the most distinguished and celebrated illustrators of her generation, Trina Schart Hyman (1939-2004) was awarded the Caldecott Medal for St. George and the Dragon, retold by Margaret Hodges, and Caldecott Honors for A Child's Calendar, by John Updike, Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins, and Little Red Riding Hood. Born in Philadelphia, she lived most of her life in New Hampshire.

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.

About this edition

• Publisher: Holiday House
• Publication date: 1990
• ISBN 10: 082340787X
• ISBN 13: 9780823407873
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Hyman Trina Schart