The Adventures of Sir Lancelot the Great, 1

by Gerald Morris

Book Overview

Many years ago, the storytellers say, the great King Arthur brought justice to England with the help of his gallant Knights of the Round Table. Of these worthy knights, there was never one so fearless, so chivalrous, so honorable, so...shiny as the dashing Sir Lancelot, who was quite good at defending the helpless and protecting the weak, just as long as he'd had his afternoon nap. Behold the very exciting and very funny adventures of Lancelot...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0547237561
• ISBN13: 9780547237565
• Release Date: May 2009
• Publisher: Clarion Books
• Length: 96 Pages
• Weight: 0.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 5.4" x 7.7"
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7

Customer Reviews

Sir Lancelot Rocks- and you roll

If you have children at a 2nd/3rd grade reading level that like comedy and action, I think they will enjoy this book.

A lovely, lively intro to the famous tales

There are a lot of books out there with allegedly humourous takes on the traditional tales - and my two five year old boys have seen them all. Ballerina knights, dragons who eat only tinned pineapple, pirate grandmas - you name it and we've seen the variation. At first I thought they were a wonderful antidote, to the conventional - especially for small children who insist on gendered roles, battle-based climaxes to the story, etc. But all the humour gets kind of tired, and I began to realise that all this variation didn't really even seem different to them, because they didn't know the basic story. What we needed was a basic tale of the gallant knight. Heroic, and honourable, but also humble and human. Morris's first chapter did not bode well, with Lancelot a mere preening peacock, but his character develops with each chapter, with Lancelot in turns outlancing, outwitting and outdoing the kindness of others, and eventually seeking a quiet retirement. It was perfectly pitched for reading aloud to bright fives, and managed a nice balance of non-preachy morals as well as humour. We look forward to the next one.

Don't judge a book by its genre

Who would have thought that a six year old girly girl and 43 year old mother would enjoy a tale of battling knights? What a joy it was to read each night! Written in such a way that my advanced reader could have completed it on her own, however I found that I didn't want to miss a page. Adventure, humor, and values found in each brief but fufilling chapter. Opportunities to expand vocabulary in a playful way. A GREAT read! The author colors the imagination and leads children to think about what may happen next. The Adventures of Sir Givret the Short is already on order!

a great read for a 6 year old

I love all of Gerald Morris's books, but they are all a little advanced for one of my daughters aged 6. So, I was delighted to find this new title written for that age group. I was initially concerned that the language might be a little complex, but I read this aloud to my six year old and she just couldn't stop laughing. She loved the long words and enjoyed saying them after me ("What does recreant mean again, Mamma???"). Highly recommended for girls and boys alike - and parents will enjoy reading it too.