Celtic Myths

by Sam McBratney

An illustrated collection of Celtic mythology including "The Hound of Ulster", "Limpet Rock", and "Wee Johnny's Revenge".

Genres: Picture Books, Folklore, Childrens, Nonfiction

96 pages, Paperback

First published January 15, 1990

About the author

The 1943 born Northern Ireland native started writing children's books when he was a teacher in his thirties, with the aim of helping out students who had trouble reading. But he continued writing for a more-personal reason: "the act of imagining simply makes me feel good," he says. The fifty-seventh book of Sam McBratney's career, and his first book with Candlewick Press, was the much-loved GUESS HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU, which has sold an astonishing 15 million copies worldwide, and is available in 37 languages. "This is not the sort of thing you expect when most of your books have been remaindered," the author admits. "But, as the frog trapped in the milk discovered, if you keep going, sometimes you find yourself walking on cream cheese."

Where does Sam McBratney get his inspiration? "I told my children stories when they were young," he says, "so when I write I try to think of what they would have liked." But there may be another source guiding his writing as well. The author's father--who worked as a type compositor with the BELFAST TELEGRAPH, and whose favorite books were westerns--is the person Sam McBratney credits for giving him his love of the English language. "Most of my picture books--GUESS HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU, THE DARK AT THE TOP OF THE STAIRS, JUST ONE!, and JUST YOU AND ME--explore the relationship between a big one and a wee one," the author notes. "The big one is not called the father in the stories, but that's what he is. Although my dad died before I became a writer, the father in my stories has a voice and a presence that he would have recognized and understood."

In addition to authoring many books for children, Sam McBratney wrote radio plays for adults and a prize-winning collection of short stories. He received a degree in history and political science from Trinity College, Dublin, and worked for many years as a teacher.

Reviews

[Shelley Alongi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know this book is written for children what I really like about it is the fact that at the beginning of each myth we get a small taste of what it’s about so we know where we are going to end up. It’s kind of like having a roadmap I like that idea. Now I don’t know if I like some of the stories. :-) But this is why I am exploring different meds because I don’t know what they are. I guess I am used to the Greek and Roman ones and these are definitely more violent.

[AngieA Allen · Rating 2 out of 5]

The illustrations were nice but the stories didn't have a storyteller's flair. They seemed to be told just to give the bare bones of the myth without any meat. I only read a few. The pronunciation guide for the Celtic names was helpful.

[Ellie Dynek · Rating 4 out of 5]

An imaginative and fascinating collection of stories!

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love all things Celtic - Celtic music, Celtic imagery, etc., so I picked up this book because I decided that I wanted to familiarize myself with some Celtic mythology, and this was definitely a great book to choose. Compiled and rewritten by Sam McBratney and illustrated by Stephen Player, this book of Celtic myths is a beautiful collection of fifteen Celtic stories, all short and sweet. The illustrations are stunningly beautiful and give the reader a wonderfully pleasant visual aid. There is a common concept amongst many of the stories, and that concept is of transformation. Many of the stories focus on humans being transformed into animals and vice-versa, humans taking on different appearances, and so forth, and underneath these plot points seems to be the idea that change, growth, and development are natural aspects of being human (after all, sci-fi and fantasy often ask us the question of what it means to be human). There are also some characters that cross over between stories; King Arthur of the Camelot legend, for example, appears in two stories (which happen to be two of my favorites from the book), and there is also a father and a son in two different stories who have the same names and are consequently probably the same people. The tone of the stories varies, though; some are tragic and have heartbreaking endings, while others are uplifting and have happy endings. "A Question for King Arthur," for example, has a happy ending, while "Limpet Rock," on the other hand, has a very sad ending. Despite the common misconception that is probably owed primarily to Disney that fairytales and fantasy stories are meant to have happy endings, this is hardly always the case. In any case, I very much enjoyed reading this collection and highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys Celtic culture, fairytales, fantasy stories, and/or mythology.

[Bix · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of fifteen illustrated Celtic myths, including "The Hound of Ulster," "The Green Man," and "Little Fawn." Vividly illustrated and well-told, though some stories may be a bit grisly for younger children, including “Wee Johnny’s Revenge,” where a boy’s ghost gets revenge for being eaten in a stew."

CIP: "An illustrated collection of Celtic mythology including "The Hound of Ulster," "Limpet Rock," and "Wee Johnny's Revenge."

SLJ: Grade 3-5. McBratney introduces readers to the magical, entertaining, and violent lore of Northern Ireland and the British Isles... Gaelic pronunciations at the bottom of pages are a great help... Overall, good stories, glowingly illustrated and freshly told, but not for the faint of heart."

Kirkus: "From McBratney, brief retellings of 15 stories from the British Isles... The illustrations are odd: The technique is rich and confident, and Player is skilled, but he makes the faces almost uniformly ugly, even when the text describes the characters as handsome or beautiful.(Folklore. 9-12)"

[Nancy Kotkin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good beginner's collection of Celtic myths. But I think it's important in any mythology to understand how the stories and the people relate; that was missing from this book. Also, the stories are arranged in an odd order. For example, readers meet Oisin as an old man before we meet him as a young boy. We meet Gawain first as a powerful knight, and then later as a young man of seemingly little consequence. Illustrations add an artistic touch to the book.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading these myths, it was a great blend of stories that were a good length for bedtime. I wasn't a huge fan of the illustrations, though, so I'll be looking around for another set before I decide which one to buy.

[Guinevere · Rating 4 out of 5]

This had two stories I'd read before, including a King Arthur story! They were told just a little bit differently in some ways, though, but I could tell they were the same stories.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful. A light summary of the major Celtic tales for those who don't really want to know them in depth but always wondered.