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About The Book

An ancient Welsh tale is given new life in this magical picture book from the author of The Dark Is Rising series.

When young Huw plays his harp on the mountains above his father’s farm, he does not realize that the magic people of Wales, the Tylwyth Teg, are listening from within the Bearded Lake. But suddenly, among his father’s herd of black cattle, Huw finds a wonderful silver cow, sent up from the lake as a gift. It makes his father a rich man—until one day the farmer becomes greedy, and the Tylwyth Teg take their revenge.
Written in the soft, musical rhythm of Welsh speech and enriched by Susan Cooper’s own imaginative gifts, this old tale takes on new life. Warwick Hutton’s marvelously evocative illustrations capture the beauty of the Welsh countryside, the crafty greed of the farmer, and the magic of the Tylwyth Teg. Readers will return to this timeless retelling of a Welsh folktale again and again.

About The Author

Photograph © Tsar Fedorsky Photography 2013

Susan Cooper is one of our foremost fantasy authors; her classic five-book fantasy sequence The Dark Is Rising has sold millions of copies worldwide. Her books’ accolades include the Newbery Medal, a Newbery Honor, the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award, and five shortlists for the Carnegie Medal. She combines fantasy with history in Victory (a Washington Post Top Ten Books for Children pick), King of Shadows, Ghost Hawk, and her magical The Boggart and the Monster, second in a trilogy, which won the Scottish Arts Council’s Children’s Book Award. Susan Cooper lives on a saltmarsh island in Massachusetts, and you can visit her online at TheLostLand.com.

About The Illustrator

Warwick Hutton had a strong conviction that pictures for children should have depth and distance, space and mood. His own books—Noah and the Great Flood, The Sleeping Beauty, The Nose Tree, Jonah and the Great Fish, Beauty and the Beast, Moses in the Bulrushes, and The Cricket Warrior—demonstrate that conviction. He resided in Cambridge, England.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books (March 6, 2012)
  • Length: 32 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781442458963
  • Grades: 1 - 4
  • Ages: 6 - 9
  • Lexile ® AD640L The Lexile reading levels have been certified by the Lexile developer, MetaMetrics®

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Awards and Honors

  • ALA Notable Children's Books
  • ILA Teachers' Choices
  • Booklist Editors' Choice
  • Parents' Choice Award

Resources and Downloads

High Resolution Images

More books from this author: Susan Cooper

More books from this illustrator: Warwick Hutton