Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: September 6th, 2016
Challenges: I Love Picture Books
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.
Blurb from goodreads:
Even dragons can’t resist a good story…
Even though Leo would rather sit at home and read, his parents send him out into the world in the hopes that Leo will become a famous knight. But when Leo comes up against the land’s most fearsome beasts, he soon discovers that scary monsters enjoy a good book as much as anyone…
My immediate reaction to reading this book was how similar it was to another new release, "Dragon was Terrible" - both feature young boys who tame or otherwise calm a dragon through the power of books and stories. Both are enjoyable stories. Both use humor and have good artwork. I love the artwork in "The Story Book Knight" - bright but not loud, cheerful, detailed, and full of little bits of sly humor such as a pony spitting out the flowers he was chewing when a griffin threatens attack.
The story itself is sweet and cute with lovely messages woven in - you don't have to fight to be brave; smartness, cleverness, kindness, and compassion are all important, as is tough love; books are worth reading. Leo is a little boy who is a knight , and yes, I had to turn off my adult brain because that made no sense whatsoever given his age and reluctance to fight. Go with it. Anyway, Leo is a knight who prefers to spend all his time reading. I can relate to that. His parents would rather he go off on adventures so when a dragon is causing trouble they pack him off to deal with it. Frankly I thought his parents were a bit callous to send him off to possibly be killed by a fire-breathing dragon. Adult brain again, trying to be practical. Along the way, he encounters other terrifying creatures and through the magic of books and some quick thinking, keeps himself safe and makes friends. Does he succeed in stopping the dragon? What do you think? The story is implausible but it's just so delightful, it's hard to care. Leo is a bookworm at heart, something many adults will relate to and his kindness is something all people could emulate to great benefit. And his 'heroic steed' Ned is simply adorable. "The Story Book Knight" made me smile and made me laugh. I enjoyed the story and the artwork
I didn't read this book with my class of ones and twos as it's too old and too long for them, and maybe too scary. I think it would be fine for four year olds on up. "The Story Book Knight" is a delightful story, one to be read over and over again.
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| Goof was not impressed with the foam dragon that came with the book. :D |
Check out these links:
Storybook Knight landing page: http://books.sourcebooks.com/
Allows you and your readers to join Leo’s Storybook Knights, pledge your allegiance and receive a certificate of membership, and download and share Twitter, Facebook and blog images.
Download an educator or activity kit: http://books.sourcebooks.com/
Author Links:
Thomas Docherty: www.thomasdocherty.co.uk
Twitter: @TDIllustration
Helen Docherty: www.helendocherty.com
Twitter: @docherty_helen
a Rafflecopter giveaway
I would add, James and the Giant peach.
ReplyDeleteDo you know, I have never read that one?
DeleteI got this at BEA and just read it to my class this past week. We were talking about characters - being able to identify characters in a story and I thought this would be a fun one for them. They loved it and I got lots of dragon and mouse pictures :) I liked the message that we don't have to fight to be brave and that you can solve problems better without fighting. A good message for the kids!
ReplyDeleteYes ta very good message and not heavy handed. Such a cute story.
DeleteThis is a delightful feature and giveaway. Thanks for the chance. My grandsons and granddaughters would love this.
ReplyDeleteGood luck! It's a delightful story.
DeleteThis sounds wonderful! I love the message and the way it's delivered. Plus what kid doesn't want to read about a knight who is there age and a dragon?
ReplyDeleteExactly, they can easily see themselves in the starring role. It is a fun book.
DeleteI have grandchildren in the right age group to read this to or have them read it to me.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds delightful! Thanks for sharing. Congratulations to Thomas and Helen.
ReplyDeletethis one
ReplyDeleteI would love to win this cute book.
ReplyDeleteI would add Goodnight Moon.
ReplyDelete