Knight Night by Owen Davey

Templar, 2011. ISBN: 9781848772182.
A simplistic and sparsely worded recount of a boy's preparations for bed, this book holds much more for its readers. Despite the minimalistic text simply telling of the mundane night time routine, the illustrations open up a new and wonderful world of imagination. Limited to muted autumnal tones of beige, orange, burgundy and grey blue, the stylised illustrations tell a whole new tale. From the die cut cover, the story begins with a yawning young knight who, on the end papers, is revealed as a pyjama clad boy wearing a colander on his head. Throughout the book, an everyday phrase or event on each page is accompanied by an imaginative picture of the knight's activities in his place.
This would prove to be a wonderful bedtime read for a very young child. It also promotes positive behaviours as the child willingly puts himself to bed without needing assistance at bath-time or whilst tidying his things away. As I read this title, I was reminded of Rod Clement's Just Another Ordinary Day. With Clement's book, I like to read the story to a class without showing them the illustrations. Their reaction is normally that the story is somewhat tedious or boring. The second reading, with the pictures, shows children how text and illustrations are often paired together with both components being vital to the story. I am sure that this title will work in much the same way, encouraging students to develop their visual literacy as well as simply providing them with an enjoyable story.
Jo Schenkel