The Bravest Knight

by Mercer Mayer

I wish I lived a thousand years ago. There would be beautiful castles, kings and queens, good knights, bad knights, fair ladies in danger, evil dragons from the mountains, and a giant troll that roars and eats anything. What kid hasn’t dreamed of living in fairy-tale times—hasn’t imagined himself as the bravest knight in all the land (or at least the knight’s faithful squire). As he has done in his celebrated There’s a Nightmare in My Closet and its follow-ups, Mercer Mayer brings childhood fantasy hilariously to life here. Bad knights are forced to pick flowers for the king, a day’s adventure involves rescuing a cat from a tree, and our hero boldly fights a fire-breathing dragon using his trusty slingshot. This silly charmer, originally published in 1968 as Terrible Troll, has been entirely redone in vivid color. It’s a rediscovered gem with timeless appeal.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Humor, Medieval, Dragons, Fantasy, Storytime

32 pages, Hardcover

First published May 10, 2007

About the author

Mercer Mayer is an American children's author and illustrator. He has published over 300 books, using a wide range of illustrative styles. Mayer is best known for his Little Critter and Little Monster series of books.

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty much a mess. Mayer just wanted an excuse to draw the most bizarre version of a dragon I've ever seen, I opine.

(Pahrump)

[Dani ❤️ Perspective of a Writer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Check out more picture book reviews @ Perspective of a Writer...

A boy imagines what it would be like to be a knight, live in a castle and fight dragons...

I picked this up hoping my nephew would like it and boy did he!! He really got a kick out of every page. He understood about the boy knight as compared the other men knights which I thought was just the point of the story! Really any child who loves to play in forts and fight dragons will find this book enchanting. I loved the bright colors and old world drawings.

I found the ending a little abrupt but my nephew loved it! Haha, he would run from the dragon too...

BOTTOM LINE: Knights, dragons, drawings on my!

______________________
You can find this review and many others on my book blog @ Perspective of a Writer. See my picture book reviews in a special feature called Boo's Picture Gallery...

[Set · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a lover of Medieval Europe, I'm very happy with the illustrations of this book. The dragon is illustrated a bit strange but it's all based on the imagination of a small child. The little boy images that he is the squire of a knight and battles dark knights and evil dragons to protect the damsels in distress.

[Mitchell Friedman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trippy. This would probably work as a bedtime story. Fun detailed art. And a pretty good through story. Sure it is just daydreaming, but a pretty good daydream. I read a colorized version (2007), presumably the original (1968) was in black and white (or perhaps limited colors). Good enough that it could have been written yesterday - though perhaps with less rescuing fair ladies in danger.

[Ashlee Tominey · Rating 5 out of 5]

We've read many knight books this year and this is by far my kid's favorite. Lots of action but not too scary because it is all pretend. Lots of things to talk about in the pictures. Plus a cute cat.

[Marquise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tries to be slapstick comedy, but doesn't quite achieve it. Nice illustrations, however.

[Erin Reilly-Sanders · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I like this book a lot, I find bits of it kinda confusing. The illustrations are bright and fun with silly details like the unshaven "bad knights" thumbing their noses at the "good knights." The colours are a bit soft to give the proper feel of a fairy tale to the story which has an interesting message of not idolizing past times and instead being happy with being here and now and playing make-believe about living then. However, I get a little lost when living "a thousand years ago" means medieval fantasy. While it's fun, it's not accurate and it seems just as easy to say "I wish I lived in a fairy tale" or the like. The ogre beating the knight is also a little odd for a story for little youngsters where a happy and just ending is age-appropriate, thus the insistence that the squire would have beat the ogre himself or something else to turn the story into what they expect.

[Tyler]

Life a thousand years ago was pretty exciting, or so thinks the narrator of The Bravest Knight. He populates his fantasy land with plenty of villains, from terrible trolls to fire-breathing dragons. As squire to the bravest knight in the kingdom, the narrator takes on the biggest and baddest the kingdom has to offer. Even in his imagination, however, things eventually get out of hand.

The simple, imaginative story is told in the straightforward fashion of a child; a style that works perfectly for Mayer and his illustrations. Every creature in this book seems to ooze charisma thanks to the attention paid to their body language and facial expression. Even the knight dressing dummy has a quirky little smile. Like all of Mayer’s books, The Bravest Knight is full of characters it’s hard not to love, which makes it an incredibly easy book to enjoy.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

My mom recently included this in a box of books she sent for my new classroom's library. I hadn't thought about it in ages, and wouldn't have remembered it in any lists of my favorite books, but it was once a book I loved to read - and it came vividly back as soon as I saw the cover. I remember being fascinated by the page where the narrator, squire to the bravest knight in the kingdom, waits outside the troll's castle. There are skeletons half-burried in the dirt around the gate. Gosh, it's scary.

But my favorite page is the one where the evil dragon and the bad knights, having been vanquished by the bravest knight, are forced to pick flowers for the queen...and, boy, are they unhappy about it.

Good stuff.

[J.j. · Rating 4 out of 5]

We're BIG Mercer Mayer fans over here, so this was a gem to discover yesterday at the library, however, Alla has decided, after spending 30 minutes 'reading' it on her own, that she doesn't like it, and here's why:

1. The troll wins. (I was very surprised by this unpredictable turn of events!)

2. The dragon looks to be very sad (tears!) because they are in the early stages of slaying him (three year olds do not understand that perhaps the mean old dragon deserved it, they can't see past the tears).

3. Did I mention the giant troll?

She actually said we should take this back to the library today.

So, it IS a gem of a Mercer Mayer find, BUT you might want to read it yourself first!

[S.E. Ferranti · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Bravest Knight is a cute story about a young boy seeking a larger than life adventure fighting dragons, trolls, & saving princesses. He wants to be liked and adored by everyone and known for being brave. At the end of the story he realizes basically what that would all in tail and decides just being him is the best thing he can be. This is a book about being brave, independence, and imagination. My family loved this book and I plan on buying it for our little in house library. I recommend this book to parents, teachers, family and friends to share with their little one! Especially if your little one is having a hard time in school, maybe it will help them want to be brave and be just fine with who they are instead of being something they think everyone wants them to be.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Basic plot: little boy wants to be a knight.

This is a darker book by Mercer Mayer, more in the vein of Where the Wild Things Are than the Little Critter books I've been reading with my little guy. The art is darker, too, but contains the level of quality and attention to detail Mayer is known for. Overall, a good read if mildly disturbing.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two things cracked me up in this book. One the cat going everywhere with the boy. A cat not a dog as would be typical. Second the dragon and the bad knights picking flowers for the king and queen as punishment. In the mind of a young boy I am sure it is fitting. lol
I also recognized myself in the little boy but he is a far wiser child than I was. I took me until adulthood to figure out the being a brave knight and fighting 'bad guys' is not always as fun as it appears.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this story, but of course I do, because it's Mercer Mayer! His illustrations are always so wonderful because there are little touches and details everywhere that kids DO see and appreciated, and I appreciate as well. Plus its a good thing to add in a Fairytale program since everything else is so Princess-centric.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just love Mercer Mayer. His stories always have a great rhythm when read aloud and there are always fun details in the illustrations that add to the story. Plus they always make me smile. This one is no exception. The little boy imagines all the things he could do if he was the squire to a knight, like save damsels, defeat dragons and fight trolls.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This simple but imaginative story is one my son had chosen multiple times from the library. The rich illustrations hold you on the page after the few lines of text are readand the main character reminds me more than a little bit of my son, whose imagination goes wild and takes him to fantasies both exciting and scary.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

An absolutely fun and adorable adventure to the times of knights and trolls through one young boys' imagination.

The ending had my daughter immediately ask me to read it again and again.

Story and pictures by Mercer Mayer, one of my favorite artists. He incorporated fun little details in each picture adding to the books enchanting appeal.

[Ronster · Rating 4 out of 5]

Children's picture book. The young boy in this story has a lively imagination. He becomes a squire for a brave knight. Most young kids know Mercer Mayer books because of Little Critter. Fun illustrations and creativity. Use for a read aloud and a unit on fantasy books and courage.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun book. We just finished learning about Knights in Home-school, and this put the fun finish to the end of that subject. Love the illustrations - the little hidden details are lots of fun to discover and discuss the relevance to the story.

[Keegan Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm always torn about whether to rate these for myself or my son. My older son LOVES this book. I enjoy it. In general, Mercer Mayer is a hit at our house. We only own one, but I suspect over the years that's likely to change.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a cute story! My 6 year old son loves it. While it does have some accurate presentations of life back then, it also is a bit silly (making bad knights pick flowers for example). It is all done in fun and my son loves pretending he is a knight and a squire.

[Marybeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this picture book, told in first person point of view, the main character imagines living in medieval times working with a knight to explore an protect the kingdom.
It uses humor and vivid artwork to introduce the elements of fantasy and adventure.

[Ashlin Edmisten · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Mercer Mayer books. I can't think of one I've read that I didn't like. This one is fun, especially for little boys who might find reading boring or difficult. The adventure will appeal to them where other books may have failed them.

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

My son and I read this book together, and he enjoyed it until we found out what happened to the Knight. As with most Mercer Mayer books, this book has wonderful illustrations.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really fun book about a little boy who imagines how cool it would be to live back in the middle ages as a knight's assistant...until he is confronted with a giant ogre in his dream! ;b

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

44 months - What you'd expect from Mercer Mayer, good story, imaginative, nicely illustrated... but missing that something to make me want to read it over and over again or buy it.

[Deatrice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again Mercer Mayer has delighted the hearts of my children and myself with his story telling capabilities and captivating illustrations. I love the ending!

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can remember 'stick sword' fights when I was a boy (amazing we did not hurt each other) and this book brought back those memories to me.

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a TON of detail in the pictures on every page.

My favorite is when they are in front of the king and Queen. The Queen is knitting and her yarn ball has fallen down the stairs and the kitty is playing with it!
(However, on the same page, there's a bear in an alcove straining against the chain around its neck. That was.... disconcerting.)

I love that the kitty gets to go and help on all their adventures.

The page where the troll fight winner emerges... there's a tiny... schoolbus? in the background. That was weird.

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

This retelling of a boy's fantasy world of knights, dragons, and trolls is intricately and delightfully illustrated. However, I do take issue with the scene--depicted on both the pages and the cover--of a child playing a game by banging on a trash can with a cat inside it. I don't like the idea of harming or scaring animals depicted as humorous or innocent play. Other than that unfortunate illustration choice, the characters and expressions are a joy to look at.