Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Merlin tells young Arthur a tale of a boy who prophesies a dragon duel. Dramatic oil paintings match the story's epic scale. Ages 5-up. (Oct.)

Horn Book

When young King Arthur cannot sleep, he searches out the wizard Merlin, his teacher and friend. Merlin tells the boy of a time in his own youth when his dreams foretold the discovery of dragons and the defeat of a king. Expressive oil paintings accompany Yolen's well-written version of one of the Arthurian legends.

ALA Booklist (Fri Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 1995)

Young King Arthur, troubled by bad dreams and by doubts about his right to be king, seeks out Merlin, who unfolds a tale of young Emrys, another lonely boy whose troubling dreams foretold the defeat of cruel King Vortigern by Uther Pendragon, Arthur's true father. When a battle tower Vortigern had forced the Welsh to build collapses three times, Emrys, hauled before the king, reveals his vision of two dragon stones sleeping beneath the mountain. Unearthed, a red dragon and a white one rise in fierce battle. When the white prevails, Emrys knows that it symbolizes Vortigern's coming defeat. In this picture book for older readers, double-page spreads provide a broad field for Li Ming's handsome oil paintings. He achieves drama both through changing perspectives and by contrasting the somber grays and browns of the mountain and stones with reds and golds in the firelight of Merlin's tower room, in Vortigern's red dragon banners and livery, and in the splendid scenes of the battling dragons. Yolen's text evokes both the enchantment of the tale and wry humor. While satisfying in its own right, this tale within a tale also enriches young readers' understanding of Arthurian lore by weaving the familiar sword-in-the-stone story with threads of Merlin's own youth taken from Welsh legend. (Reviewed Sept. 15, 1995)

School Library Journal

Gr 3-5--Drawing once again upon Arthurian legend, Yolen has created a stirring tale within a tale. Young Arthur wakes one stormy night from uneasy dreams and seeks out the company of Merlin. Sensing the boy's readiness to learn of his legacy in claiming the crown he wears without conviction, Merlin tells him of another fatherless boy, Emrys, who dreamed baffling dreams of dragons and crumbling stone towers. When the cruel Vortigern attempted to take over all of Britain, Emrys's dreams became prophetic and catalytic. Merlin ends his tale cryptically, as a certain knight advances toward Vortigern's tower. When Arthur cries out for a proper ending, Merlin draws him into the story and it becomes revelatory--at last he is able to call the crown his own. Yolen goes beyond her sources--folklore and history--and moves expertly into the realm of invention. Matched with arresting oil paintings, the legend comes alive on a grand scale, the dramatic narrative and well-wrought dialogue heightening the theatrical effect and inviting a fast-paced read-aloud. Some of Ming's illustrations are magnificent, those of the dragons in particular. One can sense this talented artist's respect for these creatures as he brings them fully to life--terrifying, violent, beautiful. So, too, does he paint Arthur with great sensitivity, a figure bathed in light, his face complex, thoughtful, and full of wonder. Although all the pictures serve the story well and elevate the drama, some seem a bit flat and overexplicit, without the pulsing life and radiance that characterizes those that are invested with emotion and are remarkable for their power.-Susan Powers, Rock Creek Forest Elementary School, Chevy Chase, MD