(2) K-3 The diminutive hero from Denise's Caldecott Honor–winning Knight Owl returns in this sequel, which introduces a new character, wannabe knight Early Bird. The tiny, big-eyed creature keeps Knight Owl, now captain of the castle's night watch, awake with her incessant chatter. After several days of interrupted sleep, he finally snaps: "PLEASE GO AWAY!" But when she doesn't return by nightfall, worried Owl heads out into the cold, dark forest to look for her. Peril ensues in the form of a pack of menacing wolves, and who should arrive (accompanied by many knights) to rescue him but Early Bird -- wearing a metal cup as a helmet and brandishing a wooden spoon. All ends happily with the two friends sharing pancakes: breakfast for Knight Owl, dinner for Early Bird. As in the first book, the art varies from personality-rich vignettes to dramatic, atmospheric double-page spreads, with a palette of warm golds for the cozy indoor scenes and smoky grays and blues at night. The text uses repetition effectively ("Early Bird kept herself busy in one way...or another"); a veritable barrage of different font sizes and styles conveys Early Bird's overly enthusiastic prattle; and frequent use of onomatopoeia (particularly the "awoooooooooo" of the wolves) encourages listener participation. An appealing picture book, tailor-made for storyhour.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2025

(3) K-3 Young Owl has what seems like an impossible dream for a wee bird: to be a real knight. But when knights start mysteriously disappearing, Owl is accepted into knight school and graduates with honors. Assigned to patrol the castle walls at night (“Night Knight Watch”), he meets a dragon, who threatens to eat him. But Owl outsmarts the dragon (by offering him pizza to eat instead of his own scrawny self, “all feathers and fluff”); and, bonding over everything they have in common (e.g., they both hatched from eggs), the two become friends. The heartwarming story is accompanied by art that varies from intimate and humorous to sweeping and atmospheric. One double-page spread, in a palette of dark blues and grays, depicts a nervous Owl peeping over a parapet as a huge shadow is projected onto the castle wall; another, all golds and bronzes, shows Owl in a crowd scene, dwarfed by a host of (human) knights. Entertaining, kid-pleasing wordplay (involving the homonyms who and whooo) adds to the book’s charm.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano