Picture-book story

Medieval Kingdom: a story in three chapters

A castle town opens its old gate, saves its harvest and holds a tournament. You are the young builder with the satchel and the toolbox.

Chapter 1 The Old Castle

You climb a path to an empty castle with a rusty gate. — An old castle stands empty on the hill, its gate rusted shut.

The blacksmith forges a key while you oil the hinges of the great door. — The village blacksmith forges a new key, and you oil every hinge.

Villagers stream through the open gate under red banners. — The gate swings open. Banners go up, and the whole village comes to see.

From real life: Real castle gates were guarded by a heavy grille called a portcullis, and the blacksmith made the iron for locks, hinges and tools.

Royal castle
Gatehouse
Blacksmith

Chapter 2 The Harvest Fair

Farmers look at wheat flattened by rain under dark clouds. — Rain has held up the harvest, and the fair is in a week.

You carry sheaves of wheat to a cart with a farm family. — You help every farm bring in its wheat before the next storm.

A fair with loaves of bread, music and a giant pie on a cart. — The fair opens with bread, music and a pie as big as a cart wheel.

From real life: Most medieval people were farmers, and a wet harvest could mean a hungry winter. Towns held a market every week, and some held a big fair once a year.