Morris, Gerald. The ballad of Sir Dinadan.MORRIS, Gerald. The ballad of Sir Dinadan. (The Squire's Tales, Book V.) Houghton Mifflin Houghton Mifflin Company is a leading educational publisher in the United States. The company's headquarters is located in Boston's Back Bay. It publishes textbooks, instructional technology materials, assessments, reference works, and fiction and non-fiction for both young readers . 245p. c2003. 0-618-54894-7. $5.95. JS To quote the review of the hardcover in KLIATT, March 2003: We return with Gerald Morris to another tale from the King Arthur stories, told with wit and imagination. (His other books have been well received, especially The Squire, His Knight, & His Lady, an ALA Best Book for YAs.) Sir Dinadan, younger brother of Tristan (remember Tristan and Isolde Tristan and Isolde Lovers in a medieval romance based on Celtic legend. The hero Tristan goes to Ireland to ask the hand of the princess Isolde for his uncle, King Mark of Cornwall. ?) mostly helps people in a knightly way by using his imagination and not his physical prowess--really he isn't a trained fighter. He is a gifted musician, who can turn any story into a ballad. But minstrels aren't knights, even though Dinadan sits on his horse in such a way that he can sing and play his rebec rebec (rē`bĕk), one of the earliest forms of the violin. It was pear-shaped, had from three to five strings, and possessed a strident tone. Its use, which began in the 13th cent. with ease as he rides. The chapters relate a variety of adventures, many of which are a retelling re·tell·ing n. A new account or an adaptation of a story: a retelling of a Roman myth. of the Tristan and Isolde story, which Morris pretty much lampoons. Knights of the Round Table Knights of the Round Table chivalrous knights in King Arthur’s reign. [Br. Lit.: Le Morte d’Arthur] See : Chivalry Knights of the Round Table set out to find the Holy Grail. [Br. Lit. make their appearance in many of the stories: Sir Kai, Sir Bedivere, King Arthur himself. Above all is Morris's sense of fun--and his intelligent retelling of familiar stories. Claire Rosser, KLIATT J--Recommended for junior high school students. The contents are of particular interest to young adolescents and their teachers. S--Recommended for senior high school students. |
|
||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion