Knight Owl written and illustrated by Christopher Denise is a visually dazzling picture book. The story is set in Medieval times when Knights roamed the landscape. The main character is a young owl who is determined to go to Knight School and learn how to be useful. Throughout the book there is a play on words between night with an n and knight with a capital K.
The colors found in the pictures are a mix of rich deep browns with many details highlighted by splashes of the moon’s golden light. The illustrations are full of visual fun and interesting items including the picture of the Medieval marketplace.
After night owl graduates, he is determined to be a fantastic Knight. Then he gets his first assignment. He will guard the castle walls as part of the Knight Night Watch. Since owls by nature like the night and never fall asleep in the night, he’s a good choice for this assignment even though he must stand on a ladder to see over the walls.
One night he hears a fearful noise and is confronted by a huge and powerful dragon! Owl says he is a Knight on the Night Watch. “You don’t look like a knight,” said the dragon. “You look like a midnight snack.” The little owl talks with the dragon for a long while and shows him how much they have in common. Soon they are friends.
Knight Owl written and illustrated by Christopher Denise is a story of determination, thinking on your feet and finding common ground around which to solve problems. It’s both an entertaining and highly satisfying story for readers 5-8 years of age (Christy Ottaviano Books/Little, Brown Young Readers, 2022).
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Activity Questions for Knight Owl
The illustrations in this book are beautiful, funny and full of details. Give them a closer look. Try to find the following items: a poster about the knighthood school, a picture of a dragon on a shield, a ladder, an overturned stool, a pizza box, a newspaper with a story about Dragon Sightings, a HUGE dragon, an open book that tells how to build Knight stuff, a round table of knights and the little owl having trouble lifting his sword.
Older children: In this story Owl always wanted to be a knight when he grew up. What would you like to be when you grow up? Think about it. Make a list of five things you are considering and why? Remember careers on your list could very well change as you get older.
Let’s pretend you are Knight Owl. First put yourself in the body shape of Knight Owl. Now move your body as you do the many things he did in this story: first put your vizor on your head, then struggle to lift your very heavy sword off the ground, then, fall over as you try to put on your heavy shield and finally (all tired out) curl up for a morning sleep.
