A fun addition to the fractured fairy-tale bookshelf.
A Chinese Little Red Riding Hood meets a dragon in the woods.
A gentle, bespectacled gray wolf would like to set the record straight about the old folktale “about a girl in a red cape.” The real story, the wolf recounts, is about a girl who lived in China in the shadow of the Great Wall. Accompanied by cartoon animation-style art, the tale mimics the Western version of the story, with Chinese cultural details incorporated throughout (for instance, bringing Nǎinai herbal soup and a rice cake) and a big bad dragon as her adversary. Nǎinai gets gobbled up, and Dragon jumps into bed wearing her nightgown and cap. “What large hands you have!” Little Red exclaims. “All the better to hold you with,” Dragon replies. And so on. However, once Little Red has also been gobbled up and no woodsman comes to the rescue, she takes matters into her own hands. Inside Dragon’s stomach, after reuniting with Nǎinai, Little Red finds various items with which to antagonize him, such as a Chinese yo-yo that bounces around and silk ribbons that tickle Dragon’s insides. In a delightful illustration showing the cross section of the creature’s long stomach, Little Red even deploys her kung fu moves. Finally, she splashes the pungent herbal soup about to make the dragon retch, and out comes everything in his stomach. Page compositions and backgrounds may be run-of-the-mill, but the colorful characters, including Dragon, are adorably expressive. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A fun addition to the fractured fairy-tale bookshelf. (author’s note, more information on the items in the dragon’s belly) (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-4197-3728-2
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Abrams
Review Posted Online: Sept. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An immersive, charming read and convincing proof again that even small bodies can house stout hearts.
Can knightly deeds bring together a feathered odd couple who are on opposite daily schedules?
Having won over a dragon (and millions of fans) in the Caldecott Honor–winning Knight Owl (2022), the fierce yet impossibly cute nocturnal, armor-clad owlet faces a new challenge—sleep deprivation—in the wake of taking on Early Bird, a trainee who rises with the sun and chatters interminably: “I made pancakes! Do you like pancakes? I love pancakes! Where’s the syrup?” It’s enough to test the patience of even the knightliest of owls, and eventually Knight Owl explodes in anger. But although Early Bird is even smaller than her mentor, she turns out to be just as determined to achieve knighthood. After he tells her to leave, she acquits herself so nobly in a climactic encounter with a pack of wolves that she earns a place at the castle. Denise proves a dab hand at depicting genuinely slinky, scary wolves as well as slipping cheerfully anachronistic newspapers and other sight gags into his realistically wrought medieval settings to underscore the tale’s tongue-in-cheek tone. Better yet, a final view of the doughty duo sitting down together to a lavish pancake breakfast/dinner at dusk ends the episode in a sweet rush of syrup and bonhomie.
An immersive, charming read and convincing proof again that even small bodies can house stout hearts. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2024
ISBN: 9780316564526
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Christy Ottaviano Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2025
A charming blend of whimsy and medieval heroism highlighting the triumph of brains over brawn.
A young owl achieves his grand ambition.
Owl, an adorably earnest and gallant little owlet, dreams of being a knight. He imagines himself defeating dragons and winning favor far and wide through his brave exploits. When a record number of knights go missing, Owl applies to Knight School and is surprisingly accepted. He is much smaller than the other knights-in-training, struggles to wield weapons, and has “a habit of nodding off during the day.” Nevertheless, he graduates and is assigned to the Knight Night Watch. While patrolling the castle walls one night, a hungry dragon shows up and Owl must use his wits to avoid meeting a terrible end. The result is both humorous and heartwarming, offering an affirmation of courage and clear thinking no matter one’s size…and demonstrating the power of a midnight snack. The story never directly addresses the question of the missing knights, but it is hinted that they became the dragon’s fodder, leaving readers to question Owl’s decision to befriend the beast. Humor is supplied by the characters’ facial expressions and accented by the fact that Owl is the only animal in his order of big, burly human knights. Denise’s accomplished digital illustrations—many of which are full bleeds—often use a warm sepia palette that evokes a feeling of antiquity, and some spreads feature a pleasing play of chiaroscuro that creates suspense and drama.
A charming blend of whimsy and medieval heroism highlighting the triumph of brains over brawn. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: March 15, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-316-31062-8
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Christy Ottaviano Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 15, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2022
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