Myths were first invented to explain the world’s mysteries and reflect a human need to explain how things came to be. As part of a desire to explain natural phenomena, such as why there is day and night or the reason for the seasons, people have invented a whole variety of gods and supernatural beings. Most well known in western cultures are the gods of Mount Olympus who people the Greek myths. Many books retelling these stories for children have been produced.

Legends usually tell of heroes and brave deeds and are often based on characters who may really have existed around whom myths and stories have been woven. One of the most enduring of these is King Arthur. Thought to have been a leader of the Britons against the Saxons, early stories about him appear in Geoffrey of Monmouth’s 1136 Celtic ‘history’ of Britain. Further stories about him, the Knights of the Round Table, the search for the Holy Grail, and the sorcerer Merlin were added from a variety of sources, particularly French and Welsh (The Mabinogion). The stories were gathered together by Sir Thomas Malory in Le Morte d’Arthur (1485) and have been told in myriad ways since. The legends surrounding King Arthur continue to seize the imaginations of writers and filmmakers.

The books recommended below are listed in order of rough age range suitability, beginning with the youngest. The stories are told from a variety of viewpoints and draw on several sources, resulting in some interestingly different retellings.

King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table by Marcia Williams
Walker
The legends are here played out in comic strip format in Marcia Williams’ signature style. While the captions tell the stories in dramatic yet economical language (‘the king bemoaned the loss of the sword he had drawn from the stone’), the characters make often humorous asides within the pictures (‘Magic me another, Merlin’). Stories include Lancelot and Elaine, Galahad and the search for the Holy Grail.

Women of Camelot by Mary Hoffman, illustrated by Christina Balit
Frances Lincoln
A fresh perspective is provided by these retellings which are all from the viewpoints of the women
within the stories. The book begins with Arthur’s mother, Igrayne, and takes in Guinevere, Nimue who traps Merlin, and Ragnell, the loathly lady, transformed by Gawain’s gallantry. Christina Balit’s illustrations recall stained glass windows in their use of colour and Art Deco style in their patterns and fluid figures.

The King Arthur Trilogy by Rosemary Sutcliff
Red Fox
Exquisitely wrought retellings of these stories of romance and valour. Read them aloud to savour the beauty of the language. The trilogy starts with ‘The Sword and Circle’, telling of the beginnings of the Round Table and including Sir Gawain and the Green Knight’ and ‘Tristan and Iseult’, moves on to the quest for the Holy Grail in ‘The Light Beyond the Forest’ and ends with the last days of Arthur and of Camelot in ‘The Road to Camlann’.