At the end of his thousand-year reign of the Copper Mountains, old King Mansolain is tired and his heart is slowing down. When his attendant, the Hare, consults The Wonder Doctor, he is told he must keep the King engaged in life by telling him a story every night until the Doctor can find a cure. The search is on for a nightly story more wonderful than the last, and one by one the kingdom's inhabitants arrive with theirs; the ferocious Wolf, the lovesick Donkey, the fire-breathing three-headed Dragon. Last to arrive is the Dwarf, with four ancient books and a prophecy that the King will live for another thousand years - but only if the Wonder Doctor returns in time.
'A triumphant piece of magic' Observer'The best book of all time for this age' The TimesAfter reigning for a thousand years, old King Mansolain is growing weary and his heart is slowing down. Only stories can keep it ticking while his doctor searches for the cure. So, from every corner of the kingdom, creatures journey to the castle in the copper mountains to sit on the King's long white bear and share their tales.Every night, a new storyteller arrives: a fearsome wolf, a lonely rabbit, a fire-breathing, three-headed dragon and many more. Each tale is more wondrous than the last, but will they be enough to keep the King's heart beating?Part of the new Pushkin Children's Classics series of thrilling, magical and inspiring stories from around the world, which young readers will return to time and again.Illustrated by Sally J. Collins.Paul Biegel was one of Europe's most acclaimed and best-loved storytellers, and the author of more than fifty books for children. Born in the Netherlands in 1925, he studied law but worked as a comic-strip writer before writing his first novel, The Golden Guitar, in 1960. The King of the Copper Mountains followed in 1965. It won the award for the best Dutch children's book of the year, and remains his best-loved work.
