Yvonne Carroll, whose Irish Legends For Children contained six traditional Irish tales in a simplified form that is ideally suited for younger readers, returns in this second collection, which is formatted in much the same way. Profusely illustrated, this time by Robin Lawrie, Great Irish Legends for Children also presents six tales, taken from the Ulster (an Rúraíocht) and Fenian (an Fhiannaíocht) cycles of Irish mythology, and from more recent Irish folklore. The selections include:

The King with Donkey's Ears, which follows the tale of a king who kills his barbers, one by one, to keep (what he imagines to be) a terrible secret, until, at the pleading of his latest barber's mother, he agrees to spare the man's life, if he promises not to reveal anything he sees in the king's castle. Naturally, not all goes quite as planned... This tale can be found in many collections, most recently in Batt Burns' The King with Horse's Ears and Other Irish Folktales.

The Brown Bull of Cooley, a very hastily sketched summation of the ancient Irish epic of the Táin Bó Cúailnge (the central part of an Rúraíocht), from Maeve and Ailill's argument about who is the wealthiest, to Maeve's efforts to obtain Daire Mac Fiachra's brown bull (in order to match Ailill's white bull, Finnbhennach), and her raid into Ulster, and conflict with Cú Chulainn. This telling concludes with the death of both bulls

The Giant from Scotland, a story combining elements of the two traditions of Fionn mac Cumhaill - the epic hero of an Fhiannaíocht, and the comical giant of later folklore - in which Fionn is challenged by the Scottish giant Angus, and, after building the Giant's Causeway, is aided by his clever wife Una in evading his enemy's grasp. This story, minus Fionn's companions in the Fianna, appears in such titles as Finn MacCoul and His Fearless Wife: A Giant of a Tale from Ireland and Mrs. McCool and the Giant Cuhullin: An Irish Tale, although the challenging giant in those retellings is named Cucullin/Cuhullin. Given that her collection also features a tale involving Cú Chulainn, the epic hero, rather than the later comical figure, perhaps Carroll changed the name deliberately, to avoid confusion.

Eisert, a tale in which the king's favorite poet, Eisert, angers his lord, and is dispatched to the land of giants he has described at court. This turns out to be Ulster, under the rule of King Fergus. I'm not familiar with this tale, and wasn't sure what to make of it. Is Eisert a leprechaun? One of the fairy-folk? Is Fergus, Fergus mac Róich?

The Beggarman, taken from an Fhiannaíocht, in which the Prince of Tír na nÓg, on his annual visit to the human world, assumes the shape of an old beggarman, and defends the honor of the Fianna, and of Fionn, when a foreign prince arrives to challenge their fastest runner to a race.

And finally, Oisín, also from an Fhiannaíocht, which follows the story of Fionn mac Cumhaill and Sadhb, of the Fear Dorcha: their short-lived time together, Sadhb's return to captivity, and Fionn's discovery, some years later, of his son, Oisín.

I cannot say, all things considered, that I enjoyed Great Irish Legends as much as Carroll's earlier collection, although I appreciate the fact that she is aiming her work at a younger audience. Somehow, though, the result of these tellings felt a little flat to me, and I wasn't very pleased, either with The Brown Bull of Cooley (all the men of Ulster are prevented from fighting by a "sea witch's" curse), or The Giant from Scotland (I prefer the heroic Finn, but if you're going to give us the comical one, just do so). Still, those looking for simplified retellings of these stories might want to take a look at this one, just to see if it suits their needs. ( )

This is a collection of classic Irish folktales, complete with 1930's, art deco illustrations. Students will enjoy reading a different take on classic Western fairy tales and seeing the differences and similarities between them. For example, the student may recognize the vain ruler from "The Emperor's New Clothes" in "The King with the Donkey Ears." They will also enjoy reading about mythical figures like druids, expanding their mythological knowledge.

One quibble I had with this book was that the text was centered in the middle of the text box. I suppose that was to give it the feeling of an illuminated scroll, but I found it distracting. Other than that, this is a good addition to a collection of world folktales, from a country that doesn't get as much attention as other parts of the world.

For ages 5 - 8. ( )