The King of Ireland's Son

This fairy tale book is amazing! Highly recommend for children 8 years or older. I love reading it and so do the kids.

My 8 year old son and I loved when we got to read another chapter in this book. It has old Gaelic words that we didn't know, but that did not take away from knowing what was happening in the story. Its a really great story. Lots of adventure and stories within the main story. Lots of fantasy, villains and heroes. Witches, giants and all great things for 8 year old imaginations.

I love the way the stories interweave with each other, Colum does a great job, but it does not lend itself to an easy read if you put it down for a while! I do love the book and once finished will read again.

The author, Padraic Colum was a close friend of my grandfather and my father had an inscribed copy which he read as a boy as did I. It was among the influences that gave both of us a great appreciation of, not only Irish folklore and music, but that of the world. I will not say what happened to that copy; I still grieve for it. I bought another copy for my kids and, while my granddaughter will probably inherit it, I felt that the bright illustrations of this printing would be more appealing to her when young. She immediately recognized it as being for her and, though she is not yet reading, she already enjoys paging through it. I hope that she will pass it on to her children.

The book arrived in excellent condition. However, some of the tales simply don't track one after another and it is as if, a tale or two were left out. It is still a nice addition to my Irish folklore collection.

(Crossposted from Goodreads) I first read this book as a child, and have lost track of the number of times I've reread it. Coming back to it as an adult, I am stunned at the beauty of Colum's language and at his handling of plot. There is a story within a story within a story, with smaller tales that reflect on the main ones and often involve the same characters. It's just astounding. And the stories themselves often have an eerie beauty and an undercurrent of sadness. But there's lots of humor, too, and lots of adventure, and, among the characters, girls as well as boys get to show spunk and initiative. My personal favorite is Morag, the serving girl who helps Flann the orphan boy escape from servitude to a giant. I also love the Spae woman, and Rory the fox! If you read it, I'm sure you'll find favorite lines and characters of your own

This was a part of our Waldorf Homeschool curriculum, great book for my 8 year old.

What a joyful and engrossing book this is! An marvelous network of interlaced stories-within-stories keeps you on your toes, trying to keep it all in your head at one time. Each tale is a marvel of masterful storytelling in itself, but the relationships of the stories and characters to each other compounds the delight. Treat yourself to a unique experience - read this book.