A little owl wants to be a big strong knight, and gets his chance when many knights disappear and more need to be recruited. He struggles to be big and strong and stay awake during the day, so he’s placed on the knight night watch. There he runs into a hungry dragon who wants to eat knights. Unless, that is, owl can offer the dragon something better - pizza!

Very cute story. I loved that the owl didn’t need to change, he was helpful and saved the day and made friends just by being himself. The story seems very serious until the pizza gets involved in a perfect full-page reveal. Great decision with the illustration, along with the fact that the owl is so smol and the knights are so big and we never see their faces. Who ever bought this for my niece has great taste (it was me, I bought it). ( )

Independent Reading Level: Preschool - 3rd grade
Awards:
Caldecott Medal (2023) ( )

A lovely story of a small owl that truly wants to be a knight. When he gets the chance he gives it his all and finally achieves his goal. Read this book to discover how he changes things for the kingdom with his special skills. A very entertaining book that I will enjoy reading to many children throughout the years of story times! ( )

Cute, but. I'm tired of knights. I'm tired solutions that don't make sense. And, honestly, even when I was a little kid the idea of a dragon being satisfied with pizza would have made me sigh and want to dis-recommend the book to everyone.
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Reread with special attention to the art because I learned that it was honored by the Caldecott committee. And yes, ok, the art is pretty darn wonderful. And the point is not so much that pizza solves the dragon's hunger, but that friendship means he'll find something else to eat. So, yes, I have to increase my rating. Still, my previous eval. is not wrong. ( )

Beautifully illustrated, this is a tale of a little owl who has big dreams of becoming a knight. After attending and graduating from knight school, the Knight Owl knows he is small and may have a rough road ahead of him, still it is his heart that leads his determination to succeed.

While the mantle he wears and the sword he tries to carry are way to heavy, he succeeds at befriending the scary dragon. This is a story of persistence and determination.

The Knight owl gathers other dragons to him, and his dreams became true. ( )

This is a book about an owl who desires to be a knight. Instead of relying on brute strength and power, he uses his skills of cleverness and bravery to solve his problems. This would be useful for students to work on reading skills and look at different perspectives on problems.

This book is about an owl who dreams of becoming a knight. He goes to knight school and then becomes a knight. He becomes friends with the dragons and can protect everyone from them. It is a super cute read-aloud story and can teach kids that they can do anything they put their minds to.

This book is about an owl who wants to be a knight. He is very small and cute. I would use this in a classroom to talk about how even if you are small you can help. ( )

For Owen ( )

Everyone, including M&D really liked. A great story about being yourself and accomplishing things with the skills you have! Highly recommended.

From Kirkus: "A charming blend of whimsy and medieval heroism highlighting the triumph of brains over brawn."

One of my favorite picture books of 2022. It's charmingly illustrated, has an uplifting and encouraging plot, exciting medieval elements, and an adorable ending. ( )

I think this book would be good for primary students. This book is about an Owl who wants to become a knight in his lands. When he does become a knight, he is the one to face the big bad dragon who turns out to be his friend in the end.

This book would be great for Intermediate children. This is a great story about an owl with a dream. I feel that it is an encouraging story showing children that you can do anything you put your mind to. This story is about an owl who dreams of being a knight. He applies to Knight school and gets accepted. He graduates and has night Knight duty. He has a scary encounter with a dragon but knows he is brave and they become good friends. ( )

Lovely book! Owl is not the biggest or strongest knight - but his bravery and cleverness see him through his knight training and his first big test as a "knight owl". Recommend this to share with a child and talk about the optimism in this story! ( )

A cute story of being confident doing things your own way, with your own talents.

Individual Reading Level: K-1 grade
Awards: Caldecott Honor Book ( )

Independent Reading Level: Kindergarten to 2nd grade.

Awards: Caldecott Honor Winner and New York Times Bestseller.

This is an adorable story about an owl who wishes to be a knight. They get their chance when knights start disappearing, and everyone is surprised when owl is chosen. But it turns out owl is perfect for the job. This book is very adorable, and kids are going to love it. As an adult I am fascinated by the illustrations and would want any of them as artwork for my walls. ( )

One of the 2023-2024 Sunshine State books for K-2nd grade at the elementary school I work at. This was a story about being brave, clever and a good friend. I really liked the illustrations in this one. ( )

An adorable book about being brave, I immediately fell in love with our little "knight" owl. Doing this in storytime, the kids knew a dragon was going to show up (although one was convinced the owl was going to be eaten ;) THe end result is inspiring, especially for those who think they are too small to make a difference ( )

Absolutely adorable ( )

In this colorful little book, a young owl dreams of being a knight, and when knights start disappearing, he gets his chance. Night watch is easy for him, but things aren’t always what they appear. This is a cute story about bonding with your perceived enemy over common ground. ( )

This book pulls out the best of the medieval period to create a story in that time for children. The main character, a wise but young owl, is learning to complete his knightly duties. Beautiful artwork and a tale of unlikely friendships make this an appropriately suited book for young readers with a flair for adventure. ( )

A cute little owl puts on a cute little suit of armor and cutely helps defend the castle as part of the night watch. It's cute.

(Another project! I'm trying to read all the picture books and graphic novels on the kids section of NPR's Books We Love 2022.) ( )