Michael Morpurgo's imaginative retelling of the King Arthur and his
Knights of the Round Table tales, accompanied by Michael Foreman's
stunning illustrations A boy sets out to hike across the sea bed at
low tide to an island not too far offshore, determined to prove that he
could make it there and back again alive. A short doze in the sunshine
on the island and a sudden fog, however, leaves him in dire straits.
Trapped on a sandbank, the sea closes in all around him. He is a strong
swimmer, but the sea current is certain to drag him down into its
depths. The last thing he thinks in the cold, dark water is that Heaven
will be warm and dry. Then he awakens in bed, a roaring fire burning
nearby. He is in a grand hall and sitting by the fire is an old man with
his dog. The old man is the legendary warrior King Arthur, and as he
recovers by the fire, the boy hears the most magnificent stories of
heroic knights and deeds of great chivalry, but also bewitchment, evil,
and betrayal at Camelot. Together, Michael Morpurgo and Michael Foreman
succeed in presenting the well-known legends in a way that is both
captivating to read and a delight to the eye.