by J. Patrick Lewis and Rebecca Kai Dotlich
illustrated by Dan Burr
Wordsong, Boyds Mills Press, 2006
ISBN 978-1-59078-380-1 (hardcover)

Castles are monumental, in real life and in our imaginations. They represent the power—and folly—of kings and queens. They are magnificent in their glory and splendor, and in their destruction. From the castle keep to dungeons, from the battlements to the moat, they evoke equally tales of honor and infamy, grandeur and despair. They symbolize the best and worst of human aspirations. The legends that surround them are the stuff of dreams.

In these old stone poems, Rebecca Kai Dotlich and J. Patrick Lewis explore the castles of history—and fantasy—that have fascinated people for hundreds of years. Blending fact and fiction, history and fantasy, they capture the wonder that castles evoke in young and old alike. Dan Burr's vibrant paintings light up the pages while depicting the humanity of these monuments. Included are Medieval Minutes, filled with facts and legends; a timeline that places the castles in historical perspective; and a bibliography.