How to Become a Knight (in Ten Easy Lessons)

by Todd Tarpley, Jenn Harney (Illustrator)

Overview

Prepare the shining armor—the king’s in need of a new knight! But with Sir Simpleton “helping” Sam train in all the wrong ways, how will he EVER master the tricks of the trade?
 
Knight needed. Apply at castle. In just one week, the king intends to choose a new knight—and Sir Simpleton intends to make sure that young Sam has mastered all the skills he needs to know, from riding a big horse to rescuing a princess. Unfortunately, Sir Simpleton may not be the very best trainer: he dons a chicken suit instead of armor, fights a bored cow instead of a fiery dragon, and seeks wisdom from a bearded goat . . . instead of a wizard. Will Sam succeed in spite of his “teacher”? Kids will laugh out loud at the wildly funny illustrations—and enjoy watching a smart child outwit a delightfully silly adult.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781454923305
Publisher:	Sterling Children's Books
Publication date:	08/07/2018
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	10.10(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 18 Years

About the Author

Todd Tarpley is the author of several picture books, including Beep! Beep! Go to Sleep (Little Brown), which was selected as an ALSC Notable Book for Children, My Grandma Is a Ninja  (North-South), and Library Books Are Not for Eating (Doubleday). He lives in New York City. Follow him on tarpbooks.blogspot.com and @toddtarpley.
 
Jenn Harney is the illustrator of the Hazy Bloom chapter-book series (FSG), as well as the picture books Never Trumpet with a Crumpet (Boyds Mills Press) and Underwear (Disney-Hyperion), her author-illustrator debut. Jenn lives in Cleveland, OH, with her husband, her daughter, and corgi. Follow her on jkharney.blogspot.com and @jennharknee.

Editorial Reviews

2018-05-14
A comical guide to knighthood.Sam wants to be a knight, so he seeks advice from Sir Simpleton—an apt name indeed. Sir Simpleton says he is a "professional dragon tamer, sword fighter, world explorer, and—this week—knight trainer!" Sir Simpleton proceeds to offer activity-appropriate advice through dialogue ("Get a bright, shiny suit of armor!"), which is then contradicted by his actions in the illustrations. This technique of humorous counterpoint between art and text is apparent in each spread as Sam is told to get the aforementioned armor while Sir Simpleton dons a feathery chicken suit of sorts, to get a "big, fast horse" while Sir Simpleton sits atop a small donkey, and so on. Sam follows the spoken advice and repeatedly challenges his mentor's silly actions, inviting readers to align themselves with him in their superior knowledge. While this might provoke laughter, the book falls flat without much storytelling to hold it together, as Sam and Sir Simpleton both achieve knighthood by the book's end but otherwise remain unchanged throughout the text. Sam is depicted as a young child of color and Sir Simpleton as a hulking, white behemoth.Not a good knight book—but not a bad one either. (Picture book. 2-5)

Kirkus Reviews