Happy Birthday, Good Knight (Penguin Young Readers, Level 3)

Shelley M. Thomas has written many books for young readers, including the successful Good Knight series, "Putting the World to Sleep," and "The Seven Tales of Trinket."

K-Gr. 2. Like Good Night, Good Knight (2000), this third easy-to-read chapter book about three little dragons and their friend the Good Knight replaces the usual swashbuckling knight-in-armor action with cozy domestic farce. The dragons need a birthday gift for someone very special. Unfortunately, they don't have any money, so the Good Knight shows them how to make gifts that come "from our hearts and our hands." First they make a cake, but they wind up with one big mess. Good intentions also go awry when they try to make a birthday card and put on a magic show. The warm friendship story is beautifully captured in Plecas' ink-and-watercolor pictures, which show the dragons' cozy cave and the kitchen, study, and sitting room of the Knight's "crumbly tumbly" tower. The surprise at the end is as satisfying as the messy slapstick. A great addition to the Dutton Easy Reader series, this book will also work well for reading aloud. Hazel Rochman
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