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| The Foundling: And Other Tales of Prydain (The Chronicles of Prydain) | 
 enlarge | Author: Lloyd Alexander
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. BYR Paperbacks
Category: Book
List Price: $5.99
Buy New: $2.50
You Save: $3.49 (58%)
New (32) Used (10) from $2.50
Avg. Customer Rating:  25 reviews
Sales Rank: 23154
Media: Paperback
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 128
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.1 x 0.5
ISBN: 0805080538
EAN: 9780805080537
ASIN: 0805080538
Publication Date: May 16, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
The Newbery-winning fantasy series now available in gorgeous new paperback editions!
Since The Book of Three was first published in 1964, young readers have been enthralled by the adventures of Taran the Assistant Pig-Keeper and his quest to become a hero. Taran is joined by an engaging cast of characters that includes Eilonwy, the strong-willed and sharp-tongued princess; Fflewddur Fflam, the hyperbole-prone bard; the ever-faithful Gurgi; and the curmudgeonly Doli—all of whom have become involved in an epic struggle between good and evil that shapes the fate of the legendary land of Prydain. Released over a period of five years, Lloyd Alexander’s beautifully written tales not only captured children’s imaginations but also garnered the highest critical praise.
The Black Cauldron was a Newbery Honor Book, and the final volume in the chronicles, The High King, crowned the series by winning the Newbery Medal for “the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.”
Henry Holt is proud to present this classic series in a new, redesigned paperback format. The jackets feature stunning art by acclaimed fantasy artist David Wyatt, giving the books a fresh look for today’s generation of young fantasy lovers. The companion book of short stories, The Foundling is also available in paperback at this time.
In their more than thirty years in print, the Chronicles of Prydain have become the standard of excellence in fantasy literature for children.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 20 more reviews...
 Possibly the most excellent read-aloud for your elem.kids October 11, 2008
The Prydain chronicles, endling in the Foundling, are perhaps one of the best children's series ever written. The quality of the writing is outstanding, Alexander's descriptive abilities are wonderful, his characterization is flawless and his stories are enchanting. I read them all as a kid, and recently just finished them as a read-aloud series to my two oldest (7 and 9). They were as enthralled by them as I was as a kid. Great old themes of good vs evil. Fabulous suspense. As far from modern day trash writing as you can imagine. Go and fill your kids brains on a diet of this!!
 I am so glad I found these... September 13, 2008
A friend loaned me her copies of this series. I enjoyed them so much I wanted my children to be able to read them, but I was apprehensive about having them read her autographed copies, and they weren't available at our local library. I was so delighted to find them at amazon.com and at such a great price I just couldn't pass them up. This is one of those true classics, great for both kids and adults. Enjoy!
Love it! July 30, 2007
I am just reading this for the first time in my mid-thirties. I must say, I absolutely love it. I have been a fan of the Chronicles for over two decades and this is a wonderful addition to the series. It expands on characters in Prydain that we all love. I don't think it matters if you read this without knowing the characters. However, if you've read the series before reading this, you will pull more out of it, and therefore love it even more.
Yes, it is geared to the younger audience, but if you grew up reading the series and have never read this, it is well worth picking up.
Classic Chronicles October 6, 2005
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
Lloyd Alexander's "Chronicles of Prydain" have become a classic staple of fantasy literature, a few rungs below "Lord of the Rings" and a few inches down from "Chronicles of Narnia." In this volume, all six books in his series are brought together, showing all of Prydain's beauty, richness, humor and sorrow as one big book.
"The Book of Three" opens with Assistant Pig-Keeper Taran yearning for adventure -- and getting more than he bargains for when he chases the pig into the woods, and is nearly run down by a sinister horned rider. Soon he teams up with a wandering king-minstrel, a sharp-tongued princess and a furry creature called Gurgi to save Prydain from the power of the Horned King.
"The Black Cauldron" has Taran and the others setting out to destroy Arawn Deathlord's evil cauldron, which turns dead men into unkillable zombies. But other forces are after the cauldron, including three peculiar witches who insist on trading something for the cauldron. What is worse, the company faces treachery from someone in their own camp...
"The Castle of Llyr" ties up some loose ends from the first book, as Princess Eilonwy is sent to the isle of Mona to become a fine lady. But she has barely arrived when she is kidnapped by a minion of the evil enchantress Achren, her "aunt." Taran sets out to save her, but must team up with the young man who wishes to marry Eilonwy -- even though Taran is rapidly falling in love with her.
"Taran Wanderer" has Taran setting out to discover his past, since he feels he can't ask Eilonwy to marry him if he is lowborn. With only Gurgi at his side, he encounters evil wizards, malevolent bandits, and finally learns that his father just might be a shepherd... until a new revelation leads him to learn of his true worth.
"The High King" wraps up the saga, with Taran returning home. But no sooner has he arrived than he learns that noble Prince Gwydion has been half-killed -- and the magical sword Dyrnwyn has been stolen by Arawn Deathlord. Now the heroes set out one and for all to attack Arawn's stronghold and get back the sword -- but how can they defeat a deathless army and a shapeshifting enemy?
Finally, "The Foundling" fills in a few of the gaps with short stories that illustrate the backstory of the Prydain novels. Among the stories are the tragic history of Dyrnwyn, how the wizard Dallben was reared by the three witches (and where he got the Book of Three), and the love story of Eilonwy's parents.
Take two parts "Lord of the Rings," add a bit more humor and comedy, and stir in bits and pieces of Welsh mythology. That pretty much sums up the Prydain Chronicles, which is one of the rare series that is meant for kids, but is as rich an experience for adults. Even better, if they know the origins of the old legends and myths that make up the edges of these stories. Alexander populates this little world with evil enchantresses, deathless warriors, eager teenagers and talking crows, all the while coming up with an original storyline that doesn't smack of lifted legends.
In a sense, the whole series is a coming-of-age story, where Taran learns wisdom, maturity, loss and love. Oh yeah, and that that Chinese curse about interesting times is quite correct. Princess Eilonwy and the bard-king Fflewddur Fflam add a bit of comic relief, but they are also strong characters in their own right, as is the fuzzy sidekick Gurgi, who goes from being an annoyance to a loyal and lovable friend.
"The Chronicles of Prydain" are fantasy at its best, mingling myth and legend with a fast-paced plot and endearingly quirky characters. Definitely not something to miss.
Tales ah-plenty, tales galore December 17, 2004
10 out of 11 found this review helpful
The superstars of children's literature often have to contend with the continual cries of their fans for further adventures and stories. How long do you think J.K. Rowling will be able to keep her promise of only seven Harry Potter tales before she breaks down and consents to one further story? We should never forget that when a character (or characters) becomes famous and beloved, he/she/they cannot rest in peace. Even Sherlock Holmes rose from his grave to star in further adventures and imaginings. It should come as no surprise then that Lloyd Alexander acquiesced, after a fashion, to his adoring public. After being asked to writer further tales from the land of Prydain, Alexander chose to give the public what they wanted. Sort of. The stories in this book do take place in Prydain and they do contain many of the beloved characters we've grown to know. In a sly twist, however, Alexander sets all these tales BEFORE any of the action we read about in the Prydain Chronicles. This experiment in prefacing the stories we already know so well could have ended up as either derivative or as depressing as George Lucas's attempt to create the first three movies of the "Star Wars" series. Instead, they end up as tiny parables that speak about hope, light, and beauty in the midst of potential bloodshed and terror. They're well worth a reading.
There are eight stories in this book in total. The first, "The Foundling" is the tale of how the sorcerer Dallben was raised by three weird sisters in the midst of a swampy home and gained more wisdom than he wanted. "The Stone" shows us the dwarf Doli and his encounter with a man who wants to live forever (and finds it unaccountably dull). "The True Enchanter" is a kind of how-they-met tale explaining why the princess Eilonwy's mother (who, like all of Alexander's heroines, is exactly like Eilonwy herself) fell for her very unmagical father. "The Rascal Crow" is just Alexander's excuse to write his very own Aesop tale about a too-clever crow and his animal allies. "The Sword" explains why the sword of Drynwyn met Taran black with blood. "The Smith, the Weaver, and the Harper" is another parable, this time displaying the continual greed of man for something a little better. And finally "The Truthful Harp" shows how Fflewddur Fflam got his magic harp and how Coll and Dallben met in "Coll and His White Pig".
The stories (as Alexander himself points out in the Author's Note) can be read without having picked up a single Prydain book before. I wouldn't necessarily recommend doing that though. How significant is the average reader going to find the fact that King Rhitta died at the hand of his own sword deep in the Spiral Castle if they haven't already picked up "The Book of Three"? Or that Dallben grew old before his time? These stories aren't strictly need-to-know, but it certainly does help. As for the tales themselves, they're all right. Nothing too spectacular, if you want my honest opinion. They take the most basic elements of all good folktales and rework them over and over. If there's a common theme in any of these stories, it's that all good tales work in threes. Alexander has reworked them in such a way that they do appear somewhat original, but don't be particularly surprised if you can predict where each story is going long before its close.
In the end, this book is really best for those die-hard fans of "The Prydain Chronicles" who're clamoring for further Lloyd Alexander facts and fancies. Anyone else will probably find the books a little repetitive and not particularly new. They're lovely little tales but there's little to recommend them but the books they preface. Nice but unnoticeable.
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