Sir Kevin of Devon

by Adelaide Holl, Leonard Weisgard (Illustrator)

"In days of old and times gone by, when knights were bold and castles high..."

The rhyming story of a young lad Kevin (not quite 11) who dreams of being a knight and his chase after a clanking dragon that terrorizes the land.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Poetry

First published January 1, 1963

Reviews

[La Coccinelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This out-of-print book is sort of a gem. Its bouncy rhythm reminds me of Dr. Seuss, but without all the nonsensical words.

This is the story of Kevin (not quite eleven) who longs to be a knight. He gets his chance when a monster starts terrorizing the countryside and all the other knights chickens flee. But Kevin is brave, and so the king gets him all kitted out with a suit of armour and sends him out to battle the monster. Kevin soon learns, though, that the monster isn't quite what it seems.

The illustrations are all done in shades of black, grey, and orange. They look like they're from the '60s (and they are!) but they work well with the subject matter.

There are some fun books out there that are no longer in print. Sir Kevin of Devon is one of them. If you get a chance, I'd recommend taking a look.

Quotable moment:

[Luisa Knight · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has wonderful illustrations that feel delightfully timeless and expressive. With a story of virtue to match, your family will enjoy diverging from modern stories to read this enchanting tale.

Ages: 4 - 8

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[[Name Redacted] · Rating 2 out of 5]

From what I remember, it is a story about a child who decides to become a brave knight and tries to face a monster that is terrorizing his town. He fails and, having failed, decides to follow the monster on its path of destruction till it dies of exhaustion or some-such; he then takes credit for the death of the monster. The people believe him and he is hailed as a hero. I think the message is supposed to be that we must face our fears and be persistent, however all I kept thinking was "BUT ALL KEVIN DID WAS FOLLOW THE THING TILL IT KILLED ITSELF! HE TOOK THE CREDIT FOR A DEATH THAT RESULTED FROM EITHER NATURAL CAUSES OR SUICIDE!" Apparently self-delusion and lying are the new honesty.

(By the way, I'm only being slightly snarky in my review. That really is what happened in the book and that really was my reaction to it!)

[Patrick C · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my favorite book as a child. When my mother read it to me she would change the line, "I dub you Sir Kevin of Devon..." to, "I dub you Sir Patrick of Matrick..." :) I still have the original on my bookshelf.....and I'm still a Knight. ;)

[Michael Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice illustrations, as expected from Weisgard. The text is OK, but any time you create a name solely for the purpose of rhyming it (Amos and famous), it brings things down.

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

I especially loved the art, but the story was funny and also encourages children to be their bravest self and true to their own dream.

[Breanna Maughan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this story of a brave little boy who wants to become a knight and eventually becomes one.

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting art, very lyrical.

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorites when I was a kid. Mostly because his name was Kevin. 😁

[Jake Ear · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite children’s story! Powerful principles and lessons.

[Sasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am just continuously taken aback, in the most marvelous way, by Weisgard's incredible medieval artwork. This is a lovely little rhyming ditty about bravery and persistence, and I loved it so.

[Patrick J. Salem · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't normally answer written reviews, but I feel like Ian's review here about this book is misleading and suggests that Kevin is duplicitous in his claim of having "killed the monster." The story is about a boy named Kevin a smallish "lad of not quite eleven" who lives in the "the town of Old East North Devon" during a time when "knights were bold and castles high." A monster "not a dragon" or "beast" is marauding the country side and all of the King Courtly's knights have run away in terror. Only Kevin is brave enough to answer the King's call. And so off he rides to the high hills where he meets the man who invented the monster from "old armor" and springs and a "wheel or two" that so frightens him that he hides in a cave. The monster returns just then and Kevin whacks it with his sword and his mace. The monster isn't harmed, but runs away. Kevin recognizes that he can't defeat it with his weapons, but nonetheless "chases the monster for days and for weeks." He chases it all the way back to Devon where it collapses and breaks. Kevin's claim of victory is, from my reading of this story, not only legitimate, but it demonstrates a child's brave perseverance. The story explicitly states that the monster ran away from Kevin, and he chased it. That may not be the same as slaying a dragon, but a metal mechanical monster cannot be defeated with sword and shield. Kevin gets the credit he deserves. This is on of the books I read to my son as a treat. The rhyme is nearly perfect, and the illustrations are incredible.

[ValeReads Kyriosity · Rating 5 out of 5]

A discussion of dragons today brought this title to mind. A childhood favorite in my family. I think our copy has my oldest brother's name in it, and my mom currently has it at her house for the entertainment of a young cousin, but I aim to get it back in my possession at some point. I remember going through a phase when the pictures really frightened me, but I've gotten over that. ;-)

Here's a blog entry with a couple of the illustrations -- http://www.vintagechildrensbooksmykid... -- and you can see them flash by here -- http://www.archive.org/details/sirkev...

Anyway...well worth hunting down a copy if you have little people. Or even if you don't!

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

My girls and I LOVE this one. Written in rhyming prose (though not obnoxious!! Very well written.) this book tells the story of a "young lad" who desires to be a knight. He shows courage, yet in the end does not battle the dragon in order to obtain greatness. He DID however, have a willing heart, was ready to fight, dreamed big, showed courage and did not give up -though his skills and means were inadequate to conquer the dragon.

"'Brave men,' thought the king, 'Are like gifts and surprises. They come in all shapes, And they come in all sizes.'"

[Cindi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The cadence of this book reminded us a little bit of "The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins" by Dr. Seuss. A great story about a boy who wants to be a knight. When the opportunity comes up for him to prove his bravery (never mind that he's not yet eleven), he goes to the king. He goes out on his quest and does not give up until he has slain the beast and is finally knighted having made his own dream come true.

(I'm sure this one is lead filled!)

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

We found a used copy of this out-of-print book online. My kids love it, and I enjoy reading it to them.

[dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the fun rhyming - great story of a child following his dreams to be rewarded.

[Catherine Lacy Zirkle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Achildhood fav.

[Megan]

CURRICULUM: RR/Classics

[Christian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dad read this to me. It had been one of his favorite books when he was a boy.