cover image Night Knight

Night Knight

Owen Davey. Candlewick/Templar, $15.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-7636-5838-0

Davey debuts with a sleepy boy's "knight-time" routine, complete with toothbrush, shield, and sword. The opening spread presents mirror images of the yawning boy. On the left, he wears pajamas and a colander on his head, and his coat of arms includes an ordinary house. On the right, he wears chain mail and a golden helmet: the house is replaced with a castle. Though the text makes bedtime sound ordinary ("I head down the hallway... and climb the stairs"), the pictures reveal a combination of suburbia and medieval heraldry. The boy rides a unicorn past a (coat rack) tree and up a (staircase) mountain into a halo of sunrays. Alligators and a giant squid splash in his tub, and his bedroom door opens onto a horizon of spectacular turreted castles. Davey's digital illustrations resemble linocuts, and his earthy hues of amber, steely blue, and cream evoke warmth. The knight finally turns out the lights: "Though it has been a great adventure... even a knight needs a good night's sleep." While his quick surrender to sleep may be a touch idealistic, Davey creates a visually striking celebration of the last imaginative hurrah before bedtime. Ages 2%E2%80%935. (Mar.)