The Book of Three, Lloyd Alexander, Henry Holt and Company, 1964, 186 pp
THE SUNDAY FAMILY READ
This is the first of yet another series of books for young readers I am now following in My Big Fat Reading Project. I read it because the final book in the series, The High King, won the Newbery Award in 1969. I wanted to read the books leading up to that.
The series is set in an imaginary kingdom, Prydain, inspired by Wales and Welsh legends. Some of the inhabitants are drawn from these legends which were collected in the Mabinogion: the hero Gwydion, the evil Lord of Annuvin, and an oracular pig named Hen Wen. The author invented two young people: Taran, the Assistant Pig-Keeper and his feisty female companion in the adventure, Eilonwy.
When Hen Wen suddenly takes off into the forest one day, Taran sets off to find the pig he is responsible for only to find himself in one dangerous situation after another. After a long arduous journey across the mountains and valleys of Prydain, Taran grows from a fumbling aspiring hero into a real one. Eilonwy keeps him from too many ill-advised decisions.
I enjoyed the story and look forward to the rest of the series.
(The Book of Three is available in paperback by order from Once Upon A Time Bookstore.)
Sounds enchanting. It helps that folk tales serve as backdrop for these characters and their adventures.
ReplyDeleteYes and yes! Someday I plan to read that collection of tales and myths, the Mabinogion.
DeleteLovely cover too, the horned one riding a horse. I like it.
ReplyDeleteI know, right?
DeleteI remember happy summer days of reading as a child. This sounds like something I would have loved!
ReplyDeleteYes, that is how I felt when reading it!
DeleteThis sounds fun! I'm sure I would have enjoyed it as a child. I hope you like the other books in the series too.
ReplyDeleteI believe I will.
DeleteIts my pleasure to read your blog post. The story of the novel seems so good and so I had decided to read the full story. I get the ebooks download online and read the full story of the novel. Thanks for the review that helps me to chose the book.
ReplyDeleteExcellent!
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