The Knight Snacker

It’s the middle of the night, and a contemporary kid called Sir Julian realizes he’s famished—the result of having surreptitiously fed Mom’s nasty-smelling “Fusion Fondue” to the family dog. Too short to reach the light switch, the pale-skinned child must now make a quest to the kitchen to “conquer a scrumptious snack,” braving a darkness evoked in deep blue-green digital hues. Trailing a blanket cape and carrying a sword and stuffie in hand, he tames the potty monster by tinkling in it, realizes that a “hideous ghostly figure” he sees is just his reflection, and eventually makes it downstairs, only to discover that the only thing to eat is leftovers from the dreaded dinner. Is the knight brave enough—and hungry enough—to eat it? Employing in animation-like art a protagonist prone to imaginative perceptions, Wicker turns the hero’s journey on its side and tickles it. Ages 3–6. (Oct.)