The Knight With the Lion: The Story of Yvain

by John Howe (Retold by, Illustrator)

A retelling of the knightly adventures of Yvain and his faithful lion, culminating in his reconciliation with the proud lady Ludine.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fantasy, Folklore, Arthurian, Fairy Tales

32 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1996

About the author

John Howe is a Canadian book illustrator, living in Neuchâtel, Switzerland. One year after graduating from high school, he studied in a college in Strasbourg, France, then at the École des arts décoratifs in the same town.

He is best known for his work based on J. R. R. Tolkien's worlds. Howe and Tolkien artist Alan Lee served as chief conceptual designers for Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy, and Howe also did the illustration for the Lord of the Rings board game created by Reiner Knizia. Howe also re-illustrated the maps of The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and The Silmarillion in 1996–2003. His work is not limited to this, and includes images of myths such as the Anglo Saxon legend of Beowulf (he also illustrated Knizia's board game Beowulf: The Legend). Howe illustrated many other books, amongst which many belong to the fantasy genre (Robin Hobb's books for instance.) He also contributed to the film adaptation of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis. In 2005 a limited edition of George R. R. Martin's novel A Clash of Kings was released by Meisha Merlin, complete with numerous illustrations by Howe.

Howe has illustrated cards for the Magic: The Gathering collectible card game.

For The Hobbit films, original director Guillermo del Toro and replacement director Peter Jackson both consulted with Howe and fellow conceptual artist Alan Lee to ensure continuity of design.

Howe is a member of the living history group the Company of Saynt George, and has considerable expertise in ancient and medieval armour and armaments.

Librarian note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

John^^Howe

Reviews

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

A serviceable retelling of Chretien de Troyes' legend with incredible (frameable, even) illustrations. I learned from the backmatter that de Troyes was responsible for introducing western culture to the Holy Grail (or what would become the Holy Grail, anyway--apparently it was a serving dish in his story)...

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

The artwork in this book is breathtakingly gorgeous!!!
I love the summery of the story as well. Flows well, and it tells this fantastic tale in a fresh, exciting way.
This book is a must for any Arthurian library! The artwork is simply *chef's kiss*

[Reading Through the Lists · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yvain + John Howe? This book was meant for me.

[Brianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love well done Arthurian stories, especially when written in an older, tale-telling style. They're so much fun to read aloud.

What's really cool about this one, though, is that it was written and illustrated by John Howe, one of the concept artists who worked on the Lord of the Rings films (the other being Alan Lee).

Anyway, the illustrations are absolutely gorgeous and I loved the style of the story. It'll definitely hold up under multiple rereadings (inevitable when you have younger brothers).

[Zachary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much shorter than I expected (really more of a kids book) but no less enjoyable, so hey I'm counting it in my read list (and anything by John Howe I can get my hands on). I love John Howe's art. He captures the classic "Celtic" and "Arthurian" looks, at least how they exist in my mind, with his heraldic banners, ancient oak trees and looming castles off in the background.

[Jaide · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

Wonderful, immersive, epic illustrations by the legendary John Howe. The story is well-told, but like much of Chrétien de Troyes’ Arthurian legends, you have to suspend disbelief.

Why is it important to guard the magic fountain? I don’t know.
Is insta-love a thing? Absolutely.
And would a queen happily and immediately marry the knight who killed her beloved husband? Of course!

[Theresa Kenney · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful rendering of the characters and a nice chid's version of the story. Even my grad students enjoy taking a look at this!

[Sebastián Posada · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely and inspiring arthurian tale.

[Willow · Rating 3 out of 5]

This has definite early christian/still pretty pagan vibes.

[Anna Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a beautifully illustrated book, and I bought it based on the pictures, alone. That it's a 'Knights of the Round Table' tale didn't hurt, either.

But the telling of Yvain's story in this particular book left something to be desired. Another reviewer indicated that it was too condensed - as we don't know the original story, I'm not sure if that's true or not... but it *felt* like it. Something was missing, and it did feel rushed.

But the pictures...!!! Beautiful.

[Cassie Olds-benton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This shorten version of Chretien de Troyes folk tale of Yvain from the 1100s will still hold the attention of boys who like to read about knights and battles, as well as young girls who love to read about those same knights that would do battle for them. John Howe's illustrations are wonderfully unadorned, yet somehow filled with romance!

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engaging tale, written and illustrated by one of my favorite contemporary artists.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Standard retelling of Arthurian tale of Yvain with some standard illustrations. Nothing spectacular to write home about.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is wonderfully illustrated and though wordy for a 4-year-old boy the pictures kept his attention.

[Nico · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nicely illustrated children`s version of the story of Yvain. Actually, the story is shortened very much so I think you cannot enjoy it properly for relations aren`t too clear...