The Story of King Arthur and Other Celtic Stories

Padraic Colum's The Story of King Arthur and Other Celtic Stories is a book of very old tales for 10 year olds, told the way a storyteller at Arthur's court might have told them.

What happens

It opens with a young man called Kilhuch riding up to Arthur's gate. His horse has a golden saddle, his hounds have collars of rubies, and there's gold on his shoes. He wants one thing. Help to win Olwen, the daughter of the Chief of the Giants.

While Arthur cuts Kilhuch's hair (a great honour, apparently), the court's chief storyteller gets going. So there are stories inside the story, which is a lovely touch.

There's Puil, a prince who swaps faces with a king from the land of faerie and rules in his place for a whole year. There's Rhiannon, who rides past on a white horse that nobody can catch, however fast they gallop. And there's a clever trick with a magic bag that never fills up.

Then the quest proper begins. Arthur sends Kilhuch off with his best knights, plus a guide, a man who speaks every language and one who can make them all invisible. They meet a shepherd whose mastiff has burnt the trees on the plain with its breath!

The language is the thing to know about. It's properly old-fashioned. Lots of "thou" and "hast", and sentences that roll on for half a page. It's gorgeous read aloud, a bit like listening to an ancient legend by the fire. On their own, though, some readers will find it hard going. Does your reader like a challenge?

Worth knowing before you hand it over

These are old tales and some are dark. In Rhiannon's story her newborn son vanishes in the night. The women meant to be watching kill a puppy and smear its blood near her, so it looks as if she harmed him, and she's punished for years. It does come right, but getting there is grim. There are fights to the death between kings too.

If your reader loves myths and legends and doesn't mind a bit of darkness, they'll find it magical. Children who are upset by harm to animals or babies might be better with a gentler retelling.

What to read next

If the old-fashioned language is hard work but they love heroes and monsters, Percy Jackson and the Greek Heroes goes completely the other way. Percy himself tells the old Greek hero stories in a cheeky, very modern voice.