St George is one of the most revered saints in the Maltese islands. The legend of St George slaying the dragon has been recounted through generations. Yet, to date there was no local retelling of the story in Maltese.

Now, a Maltese translation of the legend of St George and the dragon: Il-leġġenda ta’ San Ġorġ u d-Dragun has just been published by Merlin Publishers.

St George is hugely popular also in Spain, specifically in the Catalonia region where World Book Day originated.

Indeed, the legend goes that drops of blood from the slain dragon transformed into roses, and that people began to exchange books as gifts.

From Catalonia, this tradition spread across the world – although in most places the association with roses has falled by the wayside and the focus is nowadays on books .

This new translation by award-winning author Pierre J. Mejlak retells in Maltese the story of St George in a language accessible to younger children.

Fully illustrated throughout, this is a stunning book that will have children aged six upwards enjoying the breathless adventure of the princess saved by the knight.

Publication of Il-leġġenda ta’ San Ġorġ u d-Dragun was made possible with the assistance of the Catalan institute promoting Catalan culture in the world, the Institut Ramon Llull.

Il-leġġenda ta’ San Ġorġ u d-Dragun is available from all bookshops or online.

www.merlinpublishers.com