King Arthur and the Magic Sword

Kinetic paper engineering more than compensates for the lackluster abridgment of Howard Pyle's classic The Story of King Arthur and His Knights in this eyecatching pop-up book. Six dynamic spreads are further animated by columns that unfold on each verso page to reveal smaller pop-ups inside. Arthur, astride his horse, his pennant aloft, bounds over a snowy field; Guinevere pets her dog; the pageantry of a medieval tournament is amply evoked as two knights joust, their lances and their horses' heads energetically listing to and fro as the reader turns the page. As the text jumps from one bit of Arthuriana to another, from Merlin's setting of the fateful sword into the anvil to Arthur's drawing it forth to prove himself the rightful king of Britain, the pages glow with illustrations in burnished gold and pewter tones. The wealth of images here furnishes a tempting introduction to the richness of the Arthur legend. Ages 7-12. (Oct.)