SYNOPSIS:
Everybody in the kingdom is supporting the brave knight Leo in his battle against his fearsome dragons. They try lots of different things to help him defeat them but eventually Leo realises that the most important thing to do is to believe in himself.
This beautifully illustrated book with a poignant and uplifting rhyming story encourages children to persevere and find strength in the face of adversity, even when it seems that nothing is working.
Written by Gill White for her son Leo who suffers from Ohtahara Syndrome, an extremely rare form of epilepsy, and beautifully illustrated by Fife artist Gilli B, this story has been positively received by parents of children with complex needs, by care workers and medical staff and by parents of healthy young children who love the book simply as an adventure story. All royalties from the sale of this book will go to CHAS (Children's Hospices across Scotland).
MY THOUGHTS:
This gorgeous picture book tells the story of a brave young knight who is faced with lots of adversity but through grit and determination doesn't give up. The illustrations are bold, bright and colourful adding to the narrative. The text is also very striking and appealing, with a mixture of different fonts to highlight significant words. The double page at the back of the book gives some wonderful suggestions and activities for children to try out at home to bring the story alive.
I read this story to my key stage one class and they loved it. They were memorised by the pictures and were rooting for Leo to defeat the dragons. The children took the story at face value and we discussed Leo's feelings at different stages of the book as well as the values that were displayed in the story.
This book was extremely touching. My daughter was born with a rare genetic liver disease and had a liver transplant at 3 years of age. Knowing that this book was written for her son who also has health issues I could completely relate to the words that were written on the page. Having a child who is unwell is one of the hardest things to face as a parent. Going through treatments, procedures and having that constant uncertainty to deal with is extremely hard and stressful. I can see this book adding some comfort to those going through worrying times and providing valuable opportunities to discuss their own battles.
Many thanks to Love Book Tours for inviting me on the blog tour, to Fledging Press for gifting me a copy of the book and to Gill White who has written about a subject very close to my heart and done so with elegance and sensitivity.
Buy Link
All royalties from the sale of this book will go to CHAS (Children's Hospices across Scotland).
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