The Legend of King Arthur-a-tops

In a reimagined version of Camelot—not the Camelot of 5th and 6th century Great Britain, but a swampy, Jurassic period Camelot from 150 million years ago—three knights in training gather at the Festival of the Stone. Lancelot-o-saur and Guinevere-raptor are both skilled, capable squires, while their third comrade, Arthur-a-tops, is small, bumbling, and forgetful. Yet Arthur-a-tops “helps everyone,” a trait that Merlin-a-dactyl observes “is the mark of a true king.” When, after attempts by all other knight-o-saurs have failed, Arthur-a-tops accidentally pulls the gold-ringed Rex-calibur horn from the stone, everyone, including Arthur-a-tops himself, doubts that he is the true king. Not until Arthur-a-tops believes in himself and receives support and encouragement from his friends is he truly able to assume his position as king of Camelot—a position threatened by a foreboding meteor seen zipping toward Camelot in the final page. Though featuring some witty moments expected from O’Hara—when Arthur-a-tops doubts his position as king, Merlin-a-dactyl tells him he’ll have to either believe in himself or “build up some strong neck muscles” to carry around the magic stone—the story is unoriginal despite its novel setting, and the names are more annoying than clever, especially for read alouds. Joyner’s digital illustrations are simple and most notable for transporting dinosaurs to medieval England, complete with armor, hennins, and wimples. It’s a decent retelling of King Arthur for readers who love dinosaurs, but beyond that it doesn’t add much to the classic legend.