I'm anxious to see this new animated '90s Tarzan on the big screen. You gotta have this book if you own the soundtrack. I'm immediately buying it when it comes out.

As a fourth grade teacher in California, I have the pleasure of teaching California history. This book is a great retelling of an old Miwok Indian legend set in Yosemite Valley. Locals, Robert and Daniel San Souci write and illustrate a fun story that tells of the formation of El Capitan in Yosemite. It also teaches that each individual, regardless of size can make a difference. At the end of the book is information on the Miwok tribe and a helpful list of related readings and web sites. The students love the book and it is a fun way to present a California tribe's legend.

I waited for a long time for this book to finally come out. I am so excited that I finally have it.I liked when Arthur pulled the sword out of the stone the best. I liked very much how he illustrated it. This book inspired me to draw pictures about the middle ages. I think other kids that like king arthur stories should read this exciting book. I also wrote my own king arthur legend. Brian Kelly age 7

I liked that Merlin when he was a little boy, was very much like me. I wrote a letter to Mr. San Souci, because I really love his books. I really liked when Merlin performed his magic and turned himself into an ogre. And when he turned in to that man, and when he knew what was going to happen. This book inspired me to read more of mr. San Souci's books. I think kids should read this book because it is very exciting about medeival times and they might really like it. Brian Kelly age 7 I read all his young books when I studied medeival times.

The Faithful Friend is a French tale base in the Caribbean on the island of Martinique. Two inseparable friends, Clement and Hippolyte, are on a journey to propose marriage. After a beautiful woman named Pauline accepts Clement's proposal her uncle sets out to destroy them both. Three zombies have cast spells on the couple and it's up to Hippolyte to save them. The content seems to be appropriate for the ages indicated on the back of the book. However, there are some fairly complex words within the text, but a glossary has been provided at the beginning of the book. The Faithful Friend is definately written for young children, yet adults will enjoy the tale as well. Each illustration brings more meaning to the text. It uses bright, beautiful colors that words could never describe. They are also very accurate and consistent with the story. The artist uses a scratchboard technique throughout the entire book. This book seems to have been binded well, and the front cover bears two handsome young African boys, along with the Caldecott Honor sticker! Two thumbs up!!

This book represents the length that a friend will go to help and care for a true friend. These two young men have built a very strong bond that holds them together like brothers. This story takes place on an island with many twists and turns that make it a very exciting story. I think it is very important to let children know that we should be loyal to others in time of need. This story really hits on the true meaning of friendship, although it is fiction. My students love the illustrations which are done in scratchboard. Robert D. San Souci is a very good author for folk literature. I also like his book, The Talking Eggs. His work is good for teaching good values, or morals to students through unreal happenings.

This story is told similar to that of a folkloric tale passed on for many years from generation to generation. It has spiritual undertones and an essence of an important life lesson passed down time and again in a family. The illustrations are wonderful, (Pinkney's artwork is always great) and it is evocative of the island's mystery and danger. The two main characters' friendship is strong, bi-racial and surprise! The friend proving loyalty is the white man to the black man. This is a new one. It is the black man who has good fortune and is getting married! We need more examples like this in children's literature of mixed friendships, different ways to look at the world, new culture, strange new lands, and ties that bind people together rather than the tired old stereotypes. The students in my classroom loved this tale, because it was so fresh and new. As a teacher who is caucasian teaching in a predominantly black school, I look to Robert D. San Souci for interesting stories that appeal to the population I teach. The students always enjoy his stories such as The White Cat, etc. All are folktales with strong, interesting themes.

All three of my starts go toward the plot of the fairy tale. I purchased the book, because my husband is Armanian, and I thought he would get a charge out of reading it to my daughter. So little of the tale was really Armenian. The names weren't truly Armenian, nor some of the village names. Though, the concept that the tail revolves around the woven rug is true to Armenian households. Definately purchase the book for the quality of the tale, but don't buy it because of it having an Armenian "Tweek".

Great book, nicely illustrated. King Vachagan II is actually a historical figure, known as one of the first Christian monarchs of Armenia who built dozens of churches in Armenia's Eastern Provinces. I would say he resembles King Arthur of the Old England.

The author of this book spins a fabulous tale. The story stirs the imagination and captures the heart. It should inspire many young women to have high standards and to never accept anything less. After reading this book, I couldn't wait to own it. I have shared the book with my class this year and will continue to do so in the future. Both the boys and the girls in my fourth grade class loved this intriguing weave of words!

This is a very nice book and it tells the real story of Mulan, even though the Disney version was okay, but in my opinion, they mixed Chinese and Japanese (Mulan was a Chinese hero)... I have read a better version of Mulan, so thats why I gave it a 4 star

What many people don't realize is Robert San Souci was one of the writers for Disney's Mulan. It was even his idea to write in the character Mushu. I once met this author and I realized how much work and research went into this wonderful story about a young girl doing something extrodinary. I recommend it for all ages.

Forget Disney's version of Mulan! Robert San Souci's adaptation fleshes the simple storyline, symbolism and imagery of the original Chinese poem, with imaginative use of details such as the use of The Art of War by Mulan as a commander. In addition, Mulan's filial piety is portrayed fittingly as she sought her parent's approval to join the army instead of running away from home. Mulan's feelings of romance for her comrades and fear of punishment by her ruler serve to endear us, just as her courage and wits impress us, making this a tale suitable for the young and old.

This is an accessible entry into Arthurian tales, though a child reading it (rather than being read to) may need help with the vocabulary. The story is a simple one, but has substance. Lancelot has the fighting skills to be the greatest knight in the world, but he can't reach that level unless he has compassion too. It's not until he runs into a battle that he (seemingly) can't win that he begins to sympathize with the sorrows of others. Though the book stands on its own, I'd recommend following it with one or more of its companion books, The Young Arthur, The Young Merlin, and The Young Guinevere. The well-done illustrations are sometimes richly and sometimes subtly colored, and include intriguing details based on Celtic art. Kids will be rewarded for looking at the pictures carefully, as they notice the barely visible herons engraved on a shield, the jewel-like decoration on a scabbard, etc. I disagree with the Kirkus reviewer's charge that some scenes are melodramatic. Indeed, I would rather see more expressiveness - it's mostly the bad guys who smile in this book! Yet it is fitting that Lancelot is serious throughout. I feel many young readers will respond well to the intensity of the young knight who gazes out at us, as well as to his foster-mother's joy at the change he has gone through by the end. (If this book strikes a chord with the child of your choice, by all means check out The Kitchen Knight, by Margaret Hodges, Trina Schart-Hyman (illustrator). That story also emphasizes the importance of knightly humility and compassion, and the illustrations, while in a very different style, are exquisitely done. Trina Schart-Hyman has also illustrated a version of Saint George and the Dragon, which may be too bloody for the under-6 crowd, but gets rave reviews from many kids and parents. See the reviews here on Amazon.)

Author Robert D. San Souci has used many excellent sources and deftly compressed them into this brief but colorful introduction to Arthurian legend, in particular the legends surrounding the bravest knight of the Round Table, Lancelot. The scope of this book takes place prior to Lancelot's relationship with King Arthur and the Round Table. It focuses on his youth and several of the mystical and magical experiences he encounters as he grows and develops in his knightly skills. The full-page illustrations are absolutely grand and will serve well to ignite youthful interest in these great sagas. Do not assume that because this is a picture book that it is for very young children. The vocabulary is geared more toward 5th, 6th and 7th graders. Don't miss a companion title, Young Guinevere. It's excellent as well.

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is a scary tall tale told in the quiet town of Sleepy Hollow. It all starts out when Ichabod Crane(an intelligent school teacher) goes to a party at the Van Tassel's house. At the party a mean guy named Brom Bones tells a scary tale, about a headless horseman from the Revolutionary War. It was told that he roamed the night looking for his head, which he lost in battle. That night Ichabod had to ride home, he was very frightened. Lets just say Ichabod was never seen again, the only thing found the next day was his hat.
The legend of Sleepy Hollow is a great thriller. You can tell the tale at night, when you have a sleepover, or around a campfire. The book has a good story line and can be easily followed. I hope you don't get too scared when you read about the Headless Horseman...

Will Moses' illustrated retelling of Washington Irving's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow rivals Arthur Rackham's near century-old version as the best edition of the book ever published. The Rackham version, with its moody, archetypal illustrations, has the slight edge, as it contains Irving's full original text in addition to Rackham's spectacular artwork.

However, Moses's simplification of the narrative is masterfully executed, and the colorful, playful, and numerous paintings which adorn the book have a warm period charm of genuine Americana. Moses portrays the Hudson River Valley as a lush expansive valley not unlike the Garden of Eden on the first day of creation. Happy farmers, their wives and children, cows, geese, ducks and pigs frolic together amid fields of wheat and corn; galleons approach dramatically from the river; and the Catskill Mountains, sun, and sky suggested an infinite panorama and endless horizon full of promise.

The story tells us that the Dutch colonists were a superstitious lot, and that the Sleepy Hollow region itself was or seemed to be under a spell of some kind. The farmers and their wives suspected witchcraft; strange music was heard in the air; visions were seen; and the inhabitants themselves lived their lives in a kind of continuous dreamy revery. These tales and superstitions give rise to the legend of the headless horseman, said to be the ghost of a Hessian soldier who lost his head to a canon ball in the war, and now nightly prowling the region in search of it. Moses' nocturnal landscapes of the swamps, hills and the Old Dutch Cemetery under a bright harvest moon are particularly effective. Significantly, these stark, haunted landscapes do not violate the spirit of the book, but enrich its sense of wonder.

Moses' Ichabod is a cheerful but somewhat hapless fellow, confident and foolish in equal parts. His Katrina is a strong but innocent blond beauty, and a friend to children. Brom Bones is an appropriately square-shouldered, square-jawed hooligan, rowdy and full of mischief, if not absolute spite.

Anyone familiar with the tale knows that it is not a horror story but a folktale, a fireside spook story, and a 'legend' as Irving, writing here as Diedrich Knickerbocker, himself called it. This edition of the book is appropriate for children but is equally suitable for adults. Highly recommended.

Have you ever heard of the Headless Horseman? Have you ever heard the stories about him and how he attacks people in the woods? Have you ever wondered whether or not the story is real?

Find out for yourself by reading Washington Irving's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. I enjoyed reading this book and i think anyone who has a liking for mysterious legends and superstitions should read this book beacause of the interesting legend the town believes in. There are few characters to keep track of and the story is not hard to follow. The book is long but the reading goes quickly.

The story is set in the late 18th century in a town in New York called Sleepy Hollow. The town believes in a legend of a headless horseman who rides through the woods at night anf attacks people. The main character is a man named Ichabod Crane who is a schoolteacher from Connecticut. He moves to Sleepy Hollow in search of work and ends up going from home to home working as a tutor. One of his students is 18 year old Katrina Van Tassel who comes from a wealthy family. Ichabod gets the idea that he will try to marry Katrina in order to obtain the family's wealth. However, Katrina's boyrfriend Abraham "Brom Bones" Brut has other plans for Ichabod. As the tension rises, Ichabod continues trying to win Katrina until a breathtaking surprise appearance by the town's legend creates as mysterious an ending as they come.

The book has many strengths and few weaknesses. The author manages to create a mood in the book that keeps you always on th edge of your seat waiting for the legend of the Headless Horseman to come into play. The story is simple and easy to follow but is still very interesting. The characters are developed well and have personalities that you can understand and relate to. One such character is Brom Bones who is easily seen as an arrogant egotist. The only weakness of the book was one based on my personal opinion. The end of the story leaves too much to be concluded for my liking.

All in all, this book was a great story. The author wrote the characters in such a way that you had definite feelings towards each one of them. Also, the story line was definitely not without surprise. But if you want to discover what surprises I am talking about then I suggest you read The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.

Margaret gets one look at some sailor guy, falls in "love," and decides she wants to sail around the world with him. Then a sea serpent attacks the ship, saying "Throw me the red woman, or I will swallow all of you!" Margaret, ever the selfless woman, steals a rowboat and leaves the ship crying, "I will not be guilty of your deaths! What happens now is the will of God." Then, one thing leads to another and she finds herself stuck in the house of an old witch, who won't let her leave until Margaret has lured a true hero, to fight a giant. The hero will be known because his finger will fit a magic ring. Only after her sailor guy tries and fails, does she try on the ring. "What fools we are for thinking it must be a man who slays that great, dirty giant!" Margaret says. Then she goes off to save her lover and gets a marriage for her trouble.

The stilted and banal dialogue and bland storytelling didn't much impress me. Much fuss is made about Margaret being so brave and spunky, but to me she seemed about as spunky as a wet noodle. Try Jane Yolen's "Ballad of the Pirate Queens", Ursula K LeGuin's "Buffalo Gals Won't You Come Out Tonight", or Kathryn Lasky's "The First Painter" for some good female heroines who don't have to make a fuss about being "spunky."

The title "Brave" does not do Margaret justice. She is fearless, powerful, intelligent, kind Margaret. The fable, set in the one place on Earth I would love to live, Ireland, is wonderful. Margaret meets her prince...but who will save who? The illustrations are as beautiful as Margaret. (I love the opening stained glass.) If you have daughters, or a classroom with girls, are a girl, or just know a girl, grab this book for a good read. Highly recommended.

Brave Margaret is a the classic fairy tale, but with a twist. In Brave Margaret, the hero is Margaret and she must save the Knight in shining armor and slay the dragon. A must have for all parents with girls AND boys. Story is reminiscient of classic greek tales and Aesop fables. The story itself is excellent the artwork is magnificant.