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7 reviews for:
The Wonder Smith and His Son: A Tale from the Golden Childhood of the World
Ella Young
2.4 AVERAGE
7 reviews for:
The Wonder Smith and His Son: A Tale from the Golden Childhood of the World
Ella Young
2.4 AVERAGE
This was interesting. The illustrations are beautiful, but in the edition I read, they aren't lined up with the part of the book they are illustrating, so you see the picture and then chapters later read the story the picture is about, which I found frustrating and really annoying.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
This is an odd book. It is a series of uninteresting Irish folktales. Even though the author describes her research process I was confused by how many of the folktales didn’t have an end to them they just stopped without wrapping up the story. Thankfully it was a quick read (skimmed the last half) so I didn’t have to endure the unusual style.
This book was so much better than The Tangle-Coated Horse. The language was much simpler, and definitely aimed at children. The flow of the stories was clearer as well. Still not quite four stars, but 3.5.
I didn't rate this book very highly, but the story (stories) wasn't really that bad. I liked the idea that the author had wrangled up Gaelic old tales, some directly from ye old folks, and put them together to try and make a somewhat cohesive book. But this book had a hard time keeping my interest, try as I might. It was relatively short and the tales weren’t that bad. There’s just something about that style I don’t get along with. I read the author’s note at the beginning; it read just fine, and was a rather interesting blurb. It’s like she turned something on specifically to write the book and I'm not dialed in properly.
Read the full review here: http://newberyandbeyond.com/newbery-roundup-august/
This is another of the forgotten Newberys, winning the Honor in 1928. Upon hearing an Irish folktale about Gubbaun Saor (now written Goban Saor), the author spent 20 years collecting the remaining tales. These aren't like the tales of Cuchulain, one of heroes of Ulster from the first century. Gubban seems to date later 6th-7th century; there are literary allusions in which he does architectural work for various Irish saints. There are no great battles and as a result the reader is left with the feeling of not much happening in most of the tales, but Gubbaun's a bit tricksy and has the gift of gab. My favorite tales are the one in which he has a chat with a pooka and the ones involving his daughter Aunya (who has an even bigger gift of gab). The most adventurous cycle of tales is when he goes to build a "dune"/house for Balor of the Nomor, realizes his death is intended, and with his daughter's help tricks his way free. I read this for my 2017 Reading Challenge "a book based in mythology" (PopSugar)and my Newbery Challenge.