A Good Knight helps three little dragons who are having trouble getting to sleep - (Baker & Taylor)

When three little dragons are left to fend for themselves in a cold and lonely cave, a kind young knight befriends them and helps them along by reading them stories, singing them songs, and giving them food. - (Baker & Taylor)

Three little dragons in a far-off cave can't sleep. Someone needs to tuck them in! Luckily a Good Knight keeps watch and hears their lonely ROAR. The Good Knight (because he is a good knight) helps by bringing glasses of water, reading stories, singing songs, and dispensing kisses in multiple trips down his tower and through the dark forest. Young readers will fall in love with the agreeable Good Knight and the dragons with their sweet but repetitive requests. The repetition--though it tires the Good Knight--will help beginning readers build confidence. With pictures by Jennifer Plecas, whose unforgettably adorable dragons will win every heart,Good Night, Good Knight is sure to become a new bedtime classic. - (Random House, Inc.)

Jennifer Plecas lives in Blue Springs, Missouri. - (Random House, Inc.)

Booklist Reviews

Gr. 1^-3. In this Dutton Easy Reader, a gentle knight on his castle watch gallops through the forest to investigate strange noises. The source? Three young dragons wanting to be tucked in for the night. Each has a different request--a drink of water, a bedtime story, a song--that the knight dutifully grants, then snuggles into bed with the dragons despite his chain mail and helmet. The story's appeal lies in its sheer silliness, played out through repetition and plays on words. But it is Plecas' charming, hilarious illustrations, with flannel-clad young dragons lifting their "scaley little cheeks" for a bedtime kiss, that make the book so irresistible. ((Reviewed February 15, 2000)) Copyright 2000 Booklist Reviews

Horn Book Guide Reviews

In a comforting story, a knight is called by three dragons in turn: the first requests some water; the second, a bedtime story; and the third, a lullaby. Elements borrowed from storytellers, such as repetitive refrains and rhyming words, make the point that children can read independently the same language adults have owned for years. The illustrations of an increasingly impatient knight extend, rather than just duplicate, the text. Copyright 2000 Horn Book Guide Reviews

Horn Book Magazine Reviews

For the newly independent reader, Good Night, Good Knight will be as comforting as a favorite blanket. Here readers find a knight, a good knight, who is called by three dragons in turn: the first requests a drink of water; the second, a bedtime story; and the third, a lullaby, before they can all go to sleep. The repetition of this accustomed pattern simplifies the reading process for beginners, who use story structure as well as decoding skills to make sense out of content. Plecas's illustrations show that with each innocent demand the knight grows increasingly impatient, thus extending text rather than just duplicating it. Building on the familiar, the language imitates the oral beginnings of folktales: "Once there were three little dragons. They lived in a dark cave. The cave was in a dense forest. The forest was in a faraway kingdom." Other elements borrowed from storytellers, such as repetitive refrains and rhyming words (the knight keeps watch in a "crumbly tumbly tower...on top of a very tall wall"), make the point that children can read independently the same kind of fabulous language adults have owned for years. Like all good stories, this one offers a surprise, albeit a mild one. This time it's a scaly goodnight kiss the dragons demand before calling it a night. This reader-friendly book begins with flap copy aimed directly at children (rather than their parents, an annoying and fairly common practice) and ends with a clever play on words ("Sleep well, sleep tight, Good Knight"). And between the covers lies a real sleeper. Copyright 2000 Horn Book Magazine Reviews

Kirkus Reviews

Stories of valiant knights slaying fearsome dragons are going to fall sadly flat after one reading of this bewitching tale from Thomas. During the long evening hours, a knight keeps watch over the kingdom while in a nearby dark cave three young dragons struggle to go to sleep. A tremendous roar hastens the knight to their cave, where he is greeted not by the requisite fierce creature spewing fire, but by a small dragon who needs a drink of water. Bewildered but good-hearted, the gentle knight fetches the water and tucks the little one into bed. Twice more he is summoned by the dragons' plaintive wails, for stories and song; when he is summoned one last time, he finds that good-night kisses are in order. The weary but dutiful knight, exhausted from traipsing back and forth across the kingdom, finally succumbs to the sleep of the just. Plecas's whimsical illustrations make full use of the dragons' woeful looks and the beleaguered knight's harried expressions; children and adults will recognize the elaborate bedtime rituals, while the brief sentences and repetition of words make this an ideal easy reader. Thomas is a consummate storyteller: the language and the rhythm of the text, along with her great sense of humor, carries readers merrily along to the conclusion. (Picture book. 4-7) Copyright 2000 Kirkus Reviews

Publishers Weekly Reviews

In this magical bedtime tale set in a dense forest in a faraway kingdom, three wide-eyed little dragons are lonely but not for long. Thomas (Somewhere Today) introduces a Good Knight who nightly keeps watch from a "crumbly tumbly tower" atop a "very tall wall." One night when he hears a loud roar, he hops on his horse and gallops ("Clippety-clop. Clippety-clop") to the roar's source at the mouth of a cave. There a little dragon clad in tartan pajamas asks for a drink of water. The chivalrous hero grants this request and on subsequent return trips (with a charming refrain) reads a story to a second dragon and sings a song to a third. Not surprisingly, the knight finds this routine a bit trying and his asides ("I don't believe this"; "This is too much") will sound familiar to youngsters and especially their parents. Many will be able to guess the wee dragons' final demand. In one of Plecas's (Rattlebone Rock) many droll images, the three dragons with their eyes shut and lips puckered lift "their scaly little cheeks" for a goodnight kiss. Copious artwork, controlled vocabulary, effective repetition, brief sentences and a chapter-book trim size make this a comfortable fit for children just beginning to read solo. A fine way to bid good night. Ages 4-7. (Jan.) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

School Library Journal Reviews

PreS-Gr 2-Whether used as a beginning reader or as a read-aloud at bedtime, this sweet story will charm readers and listeners alike. When the Good Knight hears a "very large, very loud roar," he sets off on his faithful steed to determine its origin. Thus begins the first of four visits to a homey cave where three lonely, young dragons are delaying their bedtime. The creatures appear more precocious than ferocious with their teddy bears, bunny slippers, and patterned "jammies." Young children will immediately recognize the tactics the wide-eyed, pudgy serpents use as each request for a drink of water, a story, or a song prompts another visit from the Good Knight. On his fourth call, the youngsters explain that they can't fall asleep without a good-night kiss. The intrepid hero kisses "each scaly little cheek" and patiently waits for them to fall asleep. Only when he hears them snoring does he head back to the castle for his own peaceful night's rest. The short, simple, repetitive phrases are sure to capture the imaginations of young children. The knight stands guard at a "crumbly tumbly tower" and gallops through the forest, "Clippety-clop. Clippety-clop." Observant viewers will enjoy the expressions of the horse as he awaits his master upon each visit to the cave. With a palette dominated by the blues, grays, and purples of the nighttime setting, Plecas's illustrations are a wonderful complement to this endearing tale.-Maura Bresnahan, Shawsheen School, Andover, MA Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.