The King of Ireland's Son

I bought this for my son and was very glad I did. It's an adventure tale of a prince who must defeat a giant. The pictures are lush and beautiful, and it's delightfully written with great descriptions.

My first-grader loves this book, we can't read it enough. My 3-year old sits by, spellbound, and sometimes I find him looking through the pictures on his own. I found this at the library, and we had to renew it so many times I finally bought it. The language is wonderfully rich and strange--best for those who love to read aloud with gusto.

"The King of Ireland's Son" is an original fairytale by Brendan Behan, but so immersed in the traditions and familiarities of Irish folk-lore that is could well be taken for a true tale from that huge mythological canon. Behan narrates in a jaunty-like prose that reminds one immensely of the language usually connected to stories from Ireland, and incorporates many of the usual fairytale components: a tricksy giant, a damsel in distress, enigmatic guides upon the road, a helpful talking animal, a threefold trial and a triad of brothers: two malevolent ones to the virtueous youngest. The King of Ireland hears the sound of "heavenly music" in his kingdom, and promises half the land to whichever son manages to find its source. The two eldest, Neart and Ceart, take the oppurtunity to get rid of Art, the youngest, by lowering him down the hole from which the music appears to be coming from. Art however, is sincere in his wish to follow the music, and follows the tunnel connected to the dark hole, ushered on by three elderly men, each one older than the previous, each the son of the following one.Art follows their advice to a beautiful garden, where a beautiful, magical stallion carries him through an equally beautiful garden. There he finds the music's source: the daughter of the King of Greece is held captive there, under the power of a huge and evil giant. Captured by the giant, Art agrees to his challenge: for three days the giant will hide, and if Art does not find him, he'll be killed. If by any change he does succeed, then it's Art's turn to hide whilst the giant seeks. Again, should Art fail, it will end in his death. Helped by the Princess and the stallion Art takes up the challenge, leading to the most rewarding part of the book: the ingenius hiding places held by the two opponents. Here P. J. Lynch's always-stunning illustrations come into play. The bold yet delicate watercolours are a feast for the eye, and Lynch seems to be able to paint *anything*, from any angle, whether it be comical facial expressions, the giant's eye view of the world, or the cavernous tunnel where all the actions takes place. In particular, the expression of the Princess gesturing to her ring is priceless! I couldn't help but laugh at the perfect expression she wears of a person desparately trying to convey secret information without the antagonist realising she's doing so. The giant also is a great creation - menacing without being too terrifying.Like most folklore heroes, Art relys more on the advice on helpful guides than his own devices (the stallion is solely responsible for his salvation) and the Princess, in her own words has: "been here for a year and a day and I can't get away from this old fellow until someone comes to rescue me." Obviously the idea that such damsels could be their own rescuers had not yet reached fruitition, but Lynch's portrayal of her, with sparkling wit and humour makes her not a total loss as a female role model.Despite some narrative f