Book Review - Knight Owl by Christopher Denise

 1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Denise, Christopher. (2022). Knight Owl. Little, Brown and Company. ISBN: 9780316310628

2. PLOT SUMMARY
In this story a little owl has dreams of becoming a knight. When knights start disappearing off the castle
wall, the little owl signs up to join the guild. He's not the strongest, but he excelled as a student which
earns him a post on the Knight's Night Watch. One night, he encounters a hungry dragon and, being
clever, he persuades the dragon to have some pizza instead of the owl himself for dinner. The little owl
befriended the dragon, the disappearances stop, and he earns a great many friends from his efforts.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Christopher Denise tells a story of overcoming obstacles and never giving up on personal dreams. The
story of this little owl longing to be a knight teaches perseverance, courage, and friendship. The main
character saw an opportunity to make his dreams come true, and even though it was difficult at times,
never gave up and succeeded in his goal. Even when things got scary, the owl found the confidence to
stand up to a fearsome enemy and had the quick wit to think of a solution that not only saved himself, but
others too. This story adds some humor, incorporating "Who, who, who whooooooooooo!" as dialogue for
the owl, and had him fall asleep during the day hinting at the species' nocturnal nature. 

Denise created the illustrations for this book by using a mixture of technology including Adobe 
Photoshop, Procreate, a Wacom tablet, and an iPad. There's a warm tint throughout all the pictures that
help create the medieval illusion. The wide eyes of the owl depict his wide range of emotions, including
hopefulness, worry, fright, and resolve throughout the story. The owl's small stature is emphasized
throughout a majority of the illustrations as when he's drawn next to knights, horses, the castle walls, and
the dragon. Denise also decided to make the other knights human and have the owl be the only animal in
the guild, further depicting the differences. 

The mystery of the knights is not directly addressed by the author, however it could be implied by the
reader that the dragon has been eating the knights one by one. This could lead to a discussion on whether
or not it was right to befriend the dragon and its implications.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
2023 Caldecott Medal Award
Starred Review in KIRKUS REVIEWS: "An immersive, charming read and convincing proof again that
even small bodies can house stout hearts."
Starred Review in BOOKLIST: "This will satisfy a wide range of readers, from Dragons Love Tacos fans
to wannabe knights."

5. CONNECTIONS
*Follow the next adventure of Knight Owl in the sequel Knight Owl and Early Bird
*Great for reading to a class and then discussing dreams and challenges faced when trying to reach certain
goals. 

Comments

  1. Lauren NiedzielskiFebruary 10, 2025 at 5:41 PM

    Great post! I think this story teaches powerful themes, as you stated, and it can lead to a thoughtful discussion about overcoming challenges in order to achieve ones' dreams. It seems that this author and illustrator made a lot of intentional choices with each detail, including making the main character a small owl, highlighting the obstacles it must overcome in order to succeed. Thanks for reviewing this book!

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