GOOD NIGHT, GOOD KNIGHT

Stories of valiant knights slaying fearsome dragons are going to fall sadly flat after one reading of this bewitching tale from Thomas. During the long evening hours, a knight keeps watch over the kingdom while in a nearby dark cave three young dragons struggle to go to sleep. A tremendous roar hastens the knight to their cave, where he is greeted not by the requisite fierce creature spewing fire, but by a small dragon who needs a drink of water. Bewildered but good-hearted, the gentle knight fetches the water and tucks the little one into bed. Twice more he is summoned by the dragons’ plaintive wails, for stories and song; when he is summoned one last time, he finds that good-night kisses are in order. The weary but dutiful knight, exhausted from traipsing back and forth across the kingdom, finally succumbs to the sleep of the just. Plecas’s whimsical illustrations make full use of the dragons’ woeful looks and the beleaguered knight’s harried expressions; children and adults will recognize the elaborate bedtime rituals, while the brief sentences and repetition of words make this an ideal easy reader. Thomas is a consummate storyteller: the language and the rhythm of the text, along with her great sense of humor, carries readers merrily along to the conclusion. (Picture book. 4-7)