4 out of 4 stars
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Children's picture books usually do their best to balance two things: be silly and fun books that that teach children something. Many seem to do one or the other well, but it's been a long time since I saw one walk the line between the two as well as Matthew Hudson does it in his book A Dragon, a Princess and a Should be Knight. Not only will children learn about the importance of character and Christian values, they'll be laughing along the way.
The story is much like classic fables and begins with a King hiding his daughter, protecting her with a dragon, saying that anyone who can defeat the dragon will have her hand in marriage. Not only will the brave man get her as a prize, he'll earn half the kingdom as a wedding gift . While the majority of the people are far too scared to go up against a dragon, a few men try. Sir Fullofhimself is the first, and when he announces his plan to the king to defeat the dragon the king is excited to have him as a future son-in-law. Sadly, Sir Fullofhimself, "the most famous knight in all the kingdom" who "won all the tournaments" is easily killed by the dragon.
The story continues with other hilarious knights until an otherwise-ordinary boy tells the king he'll defeat the dragon, but he doesn't even want half of the kingdom, he's always loved the princess and all he cares about is her. The king laughs, wondering how someone who isn't a knight and who doesn't even have a weapon could possibly take on a ferocious dragon. The boy is confident, though, and the ending is hilarious, charming and educational.
The artwork is lovely too. Matthew has written two children's picture books and has used the same illustrator, Aneeza Ashraf, for both. The art is just like what's on the cover; it reminds me of improved bitmojis with layers of really sharp, colorful background behind them. It makes the images really pop, and the pages are big enough that the art is easy to see from a distance. The text was also easy to read, and there were some great, humorous details, especially on Sir Textsalot who has what seems like a mobile phone or computer monitor in his chest armor.
Books rarely surprise me the way that A Dragon, a Princess and a Should be Knight did, let alone children's books! I had a wonderful time reading it and it's something I want to share with everyone I know. The only people I wouldn't recommend this to are people who are so upset about God being mentioned in a book that they'll turn it away; everyone else should definitely check it out. For those who are both Christian and have children, the book is absolutely perfect! It was like the best Pixar or Disney movies, just as good for adults (or at least for this adult) as it is children. My rating is definitely 4 out of 4 stars, and the only flaw I found was a single error - a quotation mark that was accidentally attached to the wrong word.
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A dragon a princess and a should be knight
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