The Story of King Arthur (Dover Children's Thrift Classics)

This book was a gift.

I've always been fascinated with all things Arthurian and so I picked up _The Story of King Arthur_ by Tom Crawford. Included in this book are stories of the Sword in the Stone, the Round Table, Sir Lancelot, Morgan le Fay, Merlin, Guenevere and much more. I feel this book would be a nice way to introduce children to the legend. It contains just enough magic and daring exploits to keep them interested. It would also be satisfactory for older children or adults who want to reacquaint themselves with the tale. Though certainly not the best I've seen, the illustrations were nice and used in such a way as to bring the story to life while not taking from it. All in all, a pleasant, quick read at a great price.

I love to help build children's libraries, so I frequently give books. This was a gift for a 5 year old girl and boy who have been fascinated with King Arthur ever since I showed them pictures of Tintagel Castle from my walking holiday, and told them the story of King Arthur. They have been enjoying the book.Like all Dover Thrift books, the quality of the paper in this book is "thrifty." These books yellow over time, and have that cheap-dusty feel to the pages. But the quality of the classic literature is the same no matter what it's printed on.This is not the most vibrantly written children's book. The writing is a bit dull and truncated. However, the characters and plot points of the Arthurian legend are there, and my niece and nephew have enjoyed having it read to them, so i wouldn't say it's bad. I would say this book is a first and second grade reading level. This was beyond the reading level of beginning-reader-kindergartners, but is an appropriate comprehension level when read to them, (or when they read sections on their own with help). I think the writing may be over-simplistic for children older than 3rd grade.The illustrations are lovely- they help hold the attention of kids who are not used to "chapter books" and have a classic feel to them that helps evoke images of castles and a far away past.Overall, this isn't the best bit of children's literature ever, but if they are interested in King Arthur, knights, castles, and wizards, this is an enjoyable story at a bargain price.

Overall good quality

My 4 year old liked the stories, but they felt choppy, felt like a page had been skipped now and then.

Kinda boring.

While the aurthian content is there, I can't imagine a worse job of trying to write for children. This is the ultimate in talking down to kids. I could barely get through it because the writing was so uninspired. There is nothing of the glory of the legend here, it is all merely plot and badly done at that. I bought it, then threw it out rather than give it to my kids.