Review by Booklist Review
Ages 7^-9. Combining several legends into one well-knit narrative, San Souci offers a beautifully cadenced story of the young Lancelot. The tale begins when Lancelot was a baby, taken in by the Lady of the Lake after his parents died. Handsome and bold, he defeats Sir Turquine, who has imprisoned 64 of King Arthur's bravest knights, and slays two giants who have enslaved a nearby town. Still, Lancelot is heartless, and therefore unable to defeat the knights of the Chapel Perilous, until he is touched by the sorrows of others. Reflecting the story's focus on the people and adventures of Arthurian legend, the paintings focus on individual characters and moments of drama. The many details of Celtic art set the characters firmly within their time and place in history. From the series of picture-book retellings that includes Young Merlin (1990), this will please readers who look to the tales for knightly adventure. --Carolyn Phelan
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
knight time Robert D. San Souci turns out the third book of his Arthurian cycle with Young Lancelot, illus. by Jamichael Henterly (see Young Guinevere, p. 78). The text is hampered by clichéed dialogue (Lancelot: "You yourself say this is my destiny. Yet you hold me back"; his guardian: "Oh, King's Son... it breaks my heart to part from you"), while the illustrations present expressionless, idealized figures in romantic, richly colored settings. (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 3-5-San Souci continues his retellings of Arthurian legends. Lancelot is raised by the Lady of the Lake in her enchanted kingdom. Never revealing his true name or that he is the son of a king, she wants him to become an intelligent, caring warrior, but instead he becomes hardhearted and arrogant. When he hears of King Arthur's Round Table, he wants the chance to meet his destiny. His arrogance wins him no friends there, but Arthur allows him to tackle two difficult tasks to prove his worth. He conquers an evil knight and two giants easily, but falls short when battling black knights at Chapel Perilous. Lancelot feels sorry for himself at being defeated, but then has a soul-changing revelation. With his new attitude, he overcomes the black knights. His change comes too swiftly to ring true for someone with a heart that's "diamond-hard." Also, despite the use of vivid action verbs and strong descriptors, the two tasks are described too simplistically and without enough gritty conflict to make them interesting. The illustrations are colorful but do not reinforce the text: facial expressions are sometimes weak and unrepresentative of the action.-Cheri Estes, Detroit Country Day School Middle School, Beverly Hills, MI (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
In deft prose, San Souci relates the story of orphaned Lancelot's upbringing by the Lady of the Lake and his first quests as a knight of King Arthur's Round Table. As the proud and hardhearted knight faces his most challenging enemies, he finally learns that compassion is as important as courage. Henterly's artwork is stiff at times but generally complements the Arthurian tale. From HORN BOOK 1996, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
From the collaborators behind Young Guinevere (1993), a version of the story of Lancelot, orphaned and raised by Niniane, the Lady of the Lake. Sent to King Arthur for training, the young man excels, but his cold and arrogant ways make him enemies. When allowed to test himself, he succeeds twice; a third test eludes him until he sees how selfish he has been. The prose is mannered, with words and phrases that set the mood yet do not obscure the tale. Although the illustrations are colorful and filled with enticing details on medieval costumes, embroidery, tapestry, and decoration, the action and characters can appear quite static. Some of the people are listless in their poses, staring inexplicably into the distance; others are done as full frontal portraits, gazing out at readers; still others--the wailing of a widow, a battle with a giant--interrupt the sheer elegance of the telling with melodrama. Vibrant, but flawed. (Picture book/folklore. 6-10)
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