Brothers of the Knight

by Debbie Allen, Kadir Nelson (Illustrator)

Overview

Debbie Allen's contemporary retelling of the classic tale The Twelve Dancing Princesses with illustrations from Kadir Nelson!

 Reverend Knight can't understand why his twelve sons' sneakers are torn to threads each and every morning, and the boys aren't talking. They know their all-night dancing wouldn't fit with their father's image in the community. Maybe Sunday, a pretty new nanny with a knack for getting to the bottom of household mysteries, can crack the case. This modern, hip retelling of the classic tale The Twelve Dancing Princesses bursts with vibrant artwork and text that's as energetic as the twelve toe-tapping Knight brothers themselves. 

"A funky, fresh adaptation." —Publishers Weekly

"This is a high-flying alternative to the tale's usual dainty renditions." —Kirkus Reviews

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780142300169
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	12/31/2001
Series:	Picture Puffin Books
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	361,174
Product dimensions:	8.44(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.11(d)
Lexile:	560L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Debbie Allen is an award-winning producer, actress, director, and choreographer. Her books include Brothers of the Night, Dancing in the Wings, and Amistad: Give us Free. She lives in Los Angeles, California

Kadir Nelson, New York Times bestselling author and two-time Caldecott Honor winner lives in San Diego, California.

Editorial Reviews

Spun from a live performance at the Kennedy Center, this urban version of "The Twelve Dancing Princesses" is a strong picture-book debut for both Allen and Nelson. Reverend Knight, a Harlem minister, can't understand why his twelve sons' hightops are "worn to threads, messed up, torn up, stinky, dirty, tacky, jacked up" each and every morning. Promising to get to the bottom of it all, winsome Sunday, latest in a long line of housekeepers, whips out a cloak of invisibility and follows the boys night after night to the Big Band Ballroom. When she confronts them, they confess: they love to dance, but fear their father's disapproval. Posed in theatrical arrangements and postures, Nelson's exuberant figures fill his stage-like scenes. In the end, the boys tell all, the reverend admits that he too used to cut the rug, and the stage is set for a swinging finale. This is a high-flying alternative to the tale's usual dainty renditions. (Picture book/folklore. 6-8)

Kirkus Reviews