Sleepless Knight

by James Sturm, Alexis Frederick-Frost, Andrew Arnold

Overview

The Knight can't wait for her first camping trip! She and her horse Edward pack everything they need—including her beloved Teddy—and head out into the woods. But when it's time for bed, Teddy is nowhere to be found!

A helpful rabbit thinks this "Teddy" sounds familiar, and sends the Knight off to a cave... but that's no teddy bear in that cave. That's a real bear!

In this sweet, simple adventure, basic comics elements combine with the picture book format to create a picture book for the youngest of comics readers, and a fantastic introduction into the world of Adventures in Cartooning.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781626723955
Publisher:	First Second
Publication date:	04/07/2015
Series:	Adventures in Cartooning
Sold by:	Macmillan
Format:	eBook
Pages:	40
File size:	35 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	3 - 5 Years

About the Author

James Sturm is the co-founder of The Center for Cartoon Studies where he currently serves as the school's director.

Alexis Frederick-Frost has been published by Nickelodeon Magazine, First Second Books, and others. Alexis currently lives with his wife in South Carolina.

Andrew Arnold's work has appeared in several publications, including Nickelodeon Magazine and Cambridge University Press. Originally from Houston, Texas, Andrew currently lives in New York City.

Editorial Reviews

02/02/2015
The creators of the Adventures in Cartooning books look to a younger audience with this first title in a picture-book series. Their romp stars the exuberantly self-centered knight and her long-suffering horse, Edward, and it’s bursting with exclamation points, silly jokes, and slapstick humor. The knight is planning a camping trip, as knights do, and she loads up her trusty steed with the essentials: her rock collection, her scooter, and her teddy bear, packing everything into a massive gray sack on Edward’s back. Despite his heavy load, she’s the one who collapses with fatigue within sight of the castle walls. “That’s it for today, Edward, I can’t go any farther. Let’s make camp here!” she exclaims, taking out the marshmallows. “I only brought 30 bags. I hope that’s enough.” After she discovers that her teddy is missing, sleep is out of the question for everyone until he’s found. The story bubbles with an inexhaustible energy, never snarky or overreaching, while the endpapers and their directions for drawing the story’s characters invite readers to create episodes of their own. Ages 3–5. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

The story bubbles with an inexhaustible energy, never snarky or overreaching, while the endpapers and their directions for drawing the story's characters invite readers to create episodes of their own.” —Publishers Weekly

"Laid out with large, colorful easy-to-follow panels, doodlelike figures engaged in all kinds of appealing slapstick situations, and big, bold speech bubbles, this is a solid introduction to graphic novels for a young audience." —Booklist

"The knight has a pretty remarkable range of emotion for someone wearing a helmet, and the eggplant-shaped Edward is a great straight man (or horse)." —The Horn Book

"The small cast (just four characters) and economy of words make for an engaging and easy flow for beginning readers." —Kirkus Reviews

"This funny tale is sure to be popular with young readers and cartoonists." —School Library Journal

"The crisp, comics-style panels and fairly easy vocabulary make this accessible and appealing to strong primary-grade readers as well as middle-graders." —The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

From the Publisher

03/01/2015
Gr 1–3—"This will be the BEST camping trip EVER!" declares the Knight, setting off for a night of adventure along with trusty horse Edward. After pitching the tent and feasting on marshmallows, the Knight crawls into a cozy sleeping bag only to discover that his teddy bear is missing. Deep in a marshmallow-induced coma, Edward cannot help search for the favorite stuffed animal. The Knight accidentally awakens a grumpy rabbit, who points to the location of a teddy bear—only this bear turns out to be real. Running back to camp, the Knight eventually finds the right Teddy and falls asleep, leaving the horse, rabbit, and bear wide awake. This simple graphic novel with three to four frames per page is colorful and hilarious. The Knight, an androgynous character wearing a face-covering helmet, has emotions superbly expressed through body language and text formatting. The endpapers add to the fun by providing instructions for drawing all four characters in a variety of poses. VERDICT This funny tale is sure to be popular with young readers and cartoonists.—Gaye Hinchliff, King County Library System, WA

School Library Journal

2015-01-20
How is a Knight supposed to fall asleep without his beloved teddy bear? The Knight decides to take his trusty steed, Edward, on an overnight camping trip. The nutty Knight loads Edward with everything but the kitchen sink (but does make sure to include a ukulele, a scooter and a box of rocks). Finally, the pair sets up camp—complete with a cozy-looking pink tent—and after feasting on delicious marshmallows, calls it a night. But while Edward promptly falls asleep, the Knight cannot! Upon discovering that his favorite teddy is missing, the Knight determines to find him. Seeking help from a rabbit, the Knight is led to a bear—but not the soft, cuddly one he was expecting! Eventually, all are reunited, and a forest frolic follows. This simply drawn charmer features illustrations with smooth, rounded edges, cleanly boxed into a clearly delineated panel structure. The small cast (just four characters) and economy of words make for an engaging and easy flow for beginning readers. Those interested in taking the experience one step further can follow the endpaper instructions for drawing the four main characters and making up their own stories about the Knight and his friends. This Knight may be sleepless, but he certainly does shine. (Graphic early reader. 4-7)

Kirkus Review