The Storybook Knight

by Helen Docherty

Thomas Docherty (Illustrator)

• ISBN10: 1492638161
• ISBN13: 9781492638162
• Publish Date: 6 September 2016
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
• Format: eBook
• Pages: 32
• Language: English

Reviews

[Berls]

Loved this one and so did my class. We read it along with a lesson on characters - identifying them only - and after they had to draw me a picture of characters from the story. I wish I could share the pictures I got of dragons, trolls, and mice in armor!

What I really liked about this book, though, is that it has two really positive messages. One - that violence is not the answer. This little mouse solved all these typical fairy tale scenarios that usually are solved with violence with a story to the "bad guy." Yeah, reading a story won't usually work, but your parents also aren't likely to send you off to slay a dragon as a kid mouse. It's the message, not the practicality. Two - that it's okay to be who you are. This little mouse didn't want to be a knight, he wanted to read. And he did just that and everyone still ended up loving him and seeing him as a hero.

[Joni Reads]

This book was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was part of our bedtime story lineup tonight and I was delighted by how great it is.

The rhyming is very fluid and just rolls right off your tongue. I know sometimes I can find myself getting tripped up when reading to my kids when the book is a rhyming one but this one was absolutely great.

Leo is a knight in training but what he really prefers to do is curl up with a good book. His parents one day find an ad in a magazine looking for a knight to tame a dragon so they load Leo up with supplies and send him off to tame the dragon. Leo packed up a pile of his favorite books as well and that turns out to be a great thing.

Leo encounters a griffin and a troll before finally encountering the dragon But don't worry there is no violence. Instead Leo offers to read books that features creatures just like them.

The illustrations are beautiful, the colors are vibrant and there was so much to look at! The detail was amazing.

My kids really seemed to enjoy this book as well. They loved the pictures and they giggled when Leo made the dragon clean up his mess before he would read to him. I really liked that little detail as that is a rule in our house, that my kids need to clean up before story time at night. I definitely plan to purchase this book for my kids once it comes out, I can see it being a favorite bedtime story for them now and even as then grow.

[kimbacaffeinate]

The Storybook Knight was written by Helen Docherty and illustrated by Thomas Docherty. It shares the story of a young gentle knight named Leo who is kind to creatures and prefers reading to any other activity.

Don't you just love him already? Leo if you haven't guessed is a mouse. His parents want him to be adventurous and become famous. They give him a shield and sword before pushing him out the door to slay a Dragon. Leo is reluctant but packs a lunch and of course a stackful of books.

The story that unfolds shares his journey as he meets a Griffin and a Troll before finally confronting the Dragon. Each page is colorfully illustrated and the story is told in verse. As Leo encounters each beast he is forced to use his quick wits to keep them from eating him and soon he befriends them.

I adored the message this book gives young readers. It also let's them know there is nothing wrong with having your nose in a book. Leo's experience with his parents is something all book lovers have faced at one time or another. The Storybook Knight reminds us it is ok to be you, to do things different and above all to love reading.

Copy obtained at BEA2016 This review was originally posted on Caffeinated Book Reviewer

[limabean74]

This is super cute and I love the illustrations. I will be posting a full review on my blog as it gets closer to release.