Hector and the Big Bad Knight by Alex T Smith
| Hector and the Big Bad Knight by Alex T Smith | |
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| Category: For Sharing | |
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Reviewer: Anne Thompson
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| Summary: A jolly story demonstrating the power of good, told with wit and warmth, about how a small sensible boy is able to outwit a big, bad knight | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 32 | Date: March 2014 |
| Publisher: Scholastic | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 9781407138480 | |
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All is not well in the happy village of Spottybottom as the Big, Bad Knight has stolen Granny’s magic wand. Hector wants to help his Granny get her wand back but there is a problem because Hector is the tiniest boy in the village and the thief is quite possibly the biggest and the baddest knight around. However, perhaps Granny should not despair because Hector has a plan!
I think that the best word to describe the stories created by author/illustrator Alex T Smith is joyful and his latest picture book is no exception. It is an interesting idea to transform the traditional dashing knight in shining armour into the villain of the piece and it works very well as the knight, complete with jutting jaw, designer stubble and gleaming teeth, has rather more brawn than brains! The story is told in rhyme and zips along with a lovely rhythm and enough repetition to engage the youngest listener. The book is beautifully produced with a clever use of different fonts for the different voices of the characters and to provide emphasis at key points. The overall look of the book is very appealing, the colours are vibrant and there is plenty of detail in the illustrations for adult and child to pore over together. Just as I was wondering who Hector’s friend Norman was I noticed a tiny arrow helpfully pointing out, This is Norman. I also liked the small chicken enjoying a cocktail and the sight of the rather macho looking knight twirling the twinkly pink wand!
This is a lovely, happy book and a gentle introduction to stories about heroes and villains. It also presents a moral tale of good triumphing over bad without labouring the point. It made me smile and I think it will make others do so too.
Thank you very much to the people at Scholastic for sending this copy to the Bookbag.
Alex T Smith has written and illustrated many other jolly picture books including Catch Us If You Can-Can. For young children who are becoming independent readers and moving on to chapter books I can wholeheartedly recommend his wonderful Claude series, the first of which is Claude in the City
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You can read more book reviews or buy Hector and the Big Bad Knight by Alex T Smith at Amazon.com.
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