In this pleasingly stylized, diverting picture book adaptation of a 13th-century Arthurian tale that belies the commonly held belief that all knights were white, young readers are introduced to the romance of the sword-fighting, quest-seeking genre.
Brown-skinned Prince Morien, son of a North African princess, has not seen his Knight of the Round Table father, Sir Aglovale, since the man went on a quest and never returned. So, after a thrilling childhood of taming dragons, surfing with crocodiles, and vanquishing "every last vegetable on the dinner table" (his daredevil mother accompanying every swashbuckling step), Morien sets out on his own quest to find his father. But questing is not all fun, games, and subduing dragons: "I miss my mom. I hate the food. This is hard." Plus, everyone he meets wants to fight him. When he finally meets a knight he can't beat--nor can the knight beat him--the knight's pal, Sir Gawain, declares it a draw and decides Morien should join forces with himself and Sir Lancelot.
In the funny, fast-paced Sir Morien, beloved and prolific fantasy writer Holly Black (Spiderwick Chronicles; Folk of the Air trilogy) and poet Kaliis Smith (Finger and Thumb) bring far-off legends into relatable immediacy. Gifted illustrator Ebony Glenn (Mommy's Khimar) uses earth tones to provide an old- (old-) timey feel, while zippy gem accents create depth. Glenn's characters reveal worlds in the slightest digital strokes--notice Gawain eye-rolling at Lancelot's ego. What an exhilarating way to begin learning about the Knights of the Round Table! --Emilie Coulter, freelance writer and editor