Milo le chevalier

by Grégoire Laforce, Charlotte Parent (illustratrice)

Depuis qu’il est né, Milo n’a jamais connu autre chose que la chevalerie. Il faut dire que Milo est l’héritier d’une longue lignée de chevaliers. Sa mission est de protéger sa colonie contre le danger et une éventuelle attaque de dragon. Mais un jour, alors qu’il s’entraîne, la pluie se met à tomber et transforme l’armure de Milo en un tas de rouille, laissant le jeune chevalier affaibli et incapable de bouger.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, International, Animals, Fantasy, Canada

52 pages, Hardcover

Published October 11, 2024

About the author

As a child, I liked to play dress up and make believe. As an adult, I served in the military until I realized I was tired of playing that role in our world. I am now a writer of picture books for children, and for the child inside all of us. I believe kids have much to teach adults about how to be in the world, if we are wise enough to listen.

Reviews

[Sunny Lu]

Sweet and beautiful

[Helena]

Suddenly, something began to happen. Milo shed a tear. This tear made him feel protected and gave him the courage to continue removing his armor.

what a sweet lil book about shedding toxic masculinity. obsessed with the colored pencil illustrations. 3.5

[Eden Burrow]

Bought this for my nephews and it’s BEAUTIFUL!

[Shaynning - Libraire Jeunesse]

Un album dans la même veine que la BD "Tout mou", sur l'importance de s'autoriser la vulnérabilité, un signe de force, parce que cela signifie accepter d'être imparfait.

[Audrey Martel]

Je suis pas très bonne avec les métaphores, j’ai du venir lire les commentaires pour comprendre, hihi.

[Camille]

J'en reviens pas de la qualité des dessins, ils sont vraiment magnifiques !

[Stephanie Tournas]

Milo, who has six spindly legs and two antennae, is a proud knight. He takes his job of protecting his colony very seriously and never takes off his armor. One never knows when a dragon will attack, although no one has even seen a dragon in the last 10,000 years. One day, Milo is caught in a rainstorm and his armor becomes completely rusted until he cannot move. When a jester walks by and suggests that the only way that Milo can regain movement is by taking his armor off. Can Milo abandon his identity to save his own life?

This charming fable is set in a medieval themed insect world, with castles, jesters and troubadours. Milo’s brave steed is a harnessed snail, and each of the denizens of the colony are hardworking bugs of all shapes and sizes, each clad in a unique colorful, multi-patterned outfit. The beautiful colored pencil drawings are inspired by 14th and 16th century manuscripts, and even the architecture of the buildings was researched by the artist. I loved the vines and flowers that lovingly illuminate the page edges. Readers will be tickled to find out that the dragon is actually a frog. The story is told by an insect troubadour who is nestled within the greenery. There is relatable existential drama when Milo has to find the courage to be himself without his armor, and ultimately he feels braver when he is free of his armor.

[Chantal HK]

Prêts pour une balade en nature aux proportions miniatures?

Milo est un chevalier descendant d'une longue lignée de chevalier, accroché à la tradition ancestrale plus qu'à la réalité. Sa vie prend son sens dans son rôle de protecteur et son armure est selon lui la seule chose qui le protège et lui permet à son tour de protéger son royaume. Il évoluera au contact des fous du roi, et sa vie changera du tout au tout lorsqu'il décidera de faire confiance à l'un d'eux. Un changement bénéfique et salutaire lui fera voir la vie sous un nouveau jour, et cette ouverture libératrice sera la source jaillissante de son bonheur.

[Rachel]

Milo is a bug Knight who is afraid to take off his armor because it's what protects him from danger, and he thinks he needs it to defend his colony from dragons(aka Frogs). When his amour is destroyed, Milo finds out that maybe it was prohibiting him from really experiencing life, and all it's wonder. Cute story the illustrations are colored pencil, have an old fashion, antique feel to them to go along with the story of a Knight.

[Shea Dunlop]

Not only is this one of the most delightfully illustrated picture books I’ve ever seen (combining fantasy/whimsy with real renaissance art inspiration!), but the simple story about finding strength in trust and vulnerability is one I’d like to hand to everyone important in my life, including my future children.

[Maggie Zeng]

truly fantastic! the pencil illustrations and medieval style complement the story about being unafraid to show your true self so well! I especially love that nothing in the text specifies that Milo is a bug or that dragons are frogs, and a different version of this book in a different universe would maybe have had literal knights and dragons, but I'm really glad of this clever creative choice

[Patricia N. McLaughlin]

An insect with an armor-like exterior molts its exoskeleton to reveal its softer side and true self as a beetle. Whimsical colored-pencil drawings invite readers to invent other possible narratives for this knight-in-rusty-chitin tale.

[.✦ ݁˖ eden earthdragon]

♡🪲 the art was so beautiful and colorful and pleasant to my eyes!!!

♡🪲 i liked the way the lovely message was softly baked into this. it doesn't always have to be so complicated sksk!

♡🪲 i love bugs and fantasy and this was just absolutely charming and cute.

[Mary Smrek]

Very adorable picture book that highlights the idea that what was always done before does not necessarily mean it must continue to be done.

[Sarah Threlkeld]

A gentle story about the power of vulnerability.

[garance]

Mon amour, mon combat, il FAUT le lire

[kathryn]

all of the frogs...i love them...

[Alexandra Rodriguez]

Beautiful illustrations inspired by medieval times and wonderful story about courage and vulnerability 🥹. Loved the fact that the book was written by an ex-military turned a children book writer. 🤍

[Lisa]

5 stars for the art; 2ish for the story.

This is trying to do something but it doesn't quite get there.

[YY]

The art is SO phenomenal. I want to frame every single page. Love the detail of the bard bug on every page like he's singing you this story!!!

[Ashley Finafrock]

Cute story about a beetle 🪲 knight who never took off his armor. My 5 y.o. enjoyed it

[Claire]

The illustrations are amazing and I love the bard telling the story on almost everything page and it's a lovely story.

[D]

4-

[Moot]

Love the art so cute

[Kate]

short and sweet story, absolutely juicy, yummy, gorgeous illustrations

[Cecilia Rose]

Beautifully illustrated.

[Riley]

Extremely cute illustrations. Generally good message but our knight overcome his fears in a very handwavey way that always frustrates me a little in picture books.

[Wallace Carroll]

The illustrations are incredibly beautiful, but it didn’t really feel like this book was for children. Very subtle. Maybe better for an older child.

[Ardin Patterson]

This was a really sweet story.

[Creotivemedia]

Dans Milo le chevalier, Grégoire Laforce nous propose une fable moderne, enrichie par les illustrations éclatantes de Charlotte Parent. Ce récit aborde avec tendresse et humour les thématiques de la liberté et de l’acceptation de soi, tout en revisitant les codes traditionnels des contes de chevalerie.

Milo, le protagoniste, est un chevalier qui incarne toutes les qualités d’un héros : bravoure, loyauté et fierté. Pourtant, au cours d’une mésaventure inattendue, il se rend compte qu’il doit apprendre à se défaire de son armure, non seulement sur le plan physique, mais aussi émotionnel. Ce parcours initiatique devient alors une métaphore puissante des pressions sociales et des attentes de genre qui pèsent sur nous tous.

Laforce réussit à transmettre des messages profonds tout en restant accessible aux jeunes lecteurs. La notion de se libérer des carcans, qu’ils soient sociaux ou liés à la masculinité, est délicatement explorée à travers les épreuves de Milo. En cherchant à se débarrasser de son armure, il découvre non seulement sa véritable identité, mais aussi la beauté de l’authenticité. Ce chemin vers l'acceptation de soi est crucial, et il est présenté de manière à encourager les enfants à réfléchir sur leur propre identité et leurs choix.

Les illustrations de Charlotte Parent viennent enrichir le texte avec des images vives et pleines de mouvement. Chaque page est un véritable tableau qui capte l’attention, rendant l’histoire encore plus engageante. Les dessins apportent une dimension visuelle qui complète parfaitement les réflexions de Milo, illustrant son voyage intérieur et extérieur avec une grande délicatesse.

Milo le chevalier est donc plus qu’un simple conte sur un chevalier. C’est un appel à la liberté d’être soi-même, à l’affranchissement des normes et des attentes qui peuvent parfois nous étouffer. Laforce nous rappelle que la véritable force réside dans l’authenticité, et que chacun a le droit de se définir selon ses propres termes.