Gerald McDermott (1941–2012)

Based on a tale by the French poet Chre'tien de Troyes, a verse-romance composed in 1180. The same story is found in the Welsh collection ot traditional legends, The Mabinogion, as "The Lady of the Fountain."

I did like this prose version of the massive poem, from which McDermott takes a few stanzas for emphasis and aesthetics.
There are numerous plot holes and unexplained actions, along with motives and situation very unfamiliar even to fans of the King Arthur stories from Mallory's era show more (even more so with the modern reimaginings), but that is probably due to the author's faithfulness to the ancient sources.

Although the format of the book is a children's picture story, the length and text make it more suitable for older elementary-junior ages.
The pen & ink drawings are angular and almost abstract (I did not care for them), again making the book more appropriate for older readers.

If I had an audience (as I did when my kids were in school), I would read it aloud. show less

I really enjoy the forwards in McDermott's books, it is nice to preface a story with some information so the reader is not lost or caught up in why its a raven as a main character or where the setting is. This book I did not find as impressive as Anansi The Spider. I found the imagery of the raven versus the soft water color that made up the rest of the illustrations quite jarring. Also the transition between the form of the baby boy raven and the true raven was pretty creepy! It was fun to show more read the story of Anansi though, which ends with the origin of the moon and then to read this one next which tells of the origin of the sun. Each come to that conclusion in a funny way that I am curious is just an element of tribal origin tales or if that is a facet of McDermott's writing. There is a nice rhythm to the text in this book as well. One thing that really bothered me was the italic questions within the writing that questions the reader. For instance: "who do you think the child was?" or "what do you think the ball was?". I would leave that kind of thing up to the reader so it does not sound like the author is trying to belittle the reader. show less

This story is extremely exciting and intense at the same time as Anansi is put through all sorts of danger and his sons try everything to rescue him. McDermott explains the importance of family in this book as Anansi’s sons use their special abilities to save him. I think children will easily learn the message of this book about the importance of standing by your family’s side through tough situations. The sentences in this book seem to be in fragments; they would start on one page and show more then continue on the next page without a period completing the sentence and that might confuse smaller children who are trying to learn how to read for the first time. I'd want to discuss sentence structures to my students before I read this so they won't be as easily confused. show less

On his way home from a party, Daniel O'Rourke becomes the target of the pooka spirit's mischief and is led from one perilous plight to another. McDermott has pared down the 19th-Century T. Crofton Croker version of this Irish folk tale and made it accessible to the young. Remaining faithful to its structure, he plays up the action and plays down the verbosities, retaining just enough of the language to hint at the Irish brand of humour central to the Croker version. He sidesteps altogether show more the premise that Daniel's woes come from drink, instead noting that Daniel feasted on "green cheese and goose livers until he thought he would burst." McDermott's illustrations are playful and full of momentum, yet every composition, defined in sepia ink, is meticulous, as if the frenzied moments have been captured for close inspection. The watercolors combine deep night blues, rich and evocative, with the dazzling verdure and pale mist of his Irish countryside, his pastel pencil adding texture and depth. Daniel himself is a figure of fun, although there is the slightest echo of St. Patrick's Day greeting-card art about him. The only characterisation that seems a bit humourless is the man in the moon; in such a tale one suspects that everyone would look a bit like an Irishmen, not so otherwordly and faceless as this fellow. This, however, is quibbling; the book abounds with merriment and artistry and is perfect for group telling on St. Patrick's Day and all year round. show less