The Adventures of Sir Lancelot the Great, 1

If you have children at a 2nd/3rd grade reading level that like comedy and action, I think they will enjoy this book.

There are a lot of books out there with allegedly humourous takes on the traditional tales - and my two five year old boys have seen them all. Ballerina knights, dragons who eat only tinned pineapple, pirate grandmas - you name it and we've seen the variation. At first I thought they were a wonderful antidote, to the conventional - especially for small children who insist on gendered roles, battle-based climaxes to the story, etc. But all the humour gets kind of tired, and I began to realise that all this variation didn't really even seem different to them, because they didn't know the basic story. What we needed was a basic tale of the gallant knight. Heroic, and honourable, but also humble and human. Morris's first chapter did not bode well, with Lancelot a mere preening peacock, but his character develops with each chapter, with Lancelot in turns outlancing, outwitting and outdoing the kindness of others, and eventually seeking a quiet retirement. It was perfectly pitched for reading aloud to bright fives, and managed a nice balance of non-preachy morals as well as humour. We look forward to the next one.

Who would have thought that a six year old girly girl and 43 year old mother would enjoy a tale of battling knights? What a joy it was to read each night! Written in such a way that my advanced reader could have completed it on her own, however I found that I didn't want to miss a page. Adventure, humor, and values found in each brief but fufilling chapter. Opportunities to expand vocabulary in a playful way. A GREAT read! The author colors the imagination and leads children to think about what may happen next. The Adventures of Sir Givret the Short is already on order!

I love all of Gerald Morris's books, but they are all a little advanced for one of my daughters aged 6. So, I was delighted to find this new title written for that age group. I was initially concerned that the language might be a little complex, but I read this aloud to my six year old and she just couldn't stop laughing. She loved the long words and enjoyed saying them after me ("What does recreant mean again, Mamma???"). Highly recommended for girls and boys alike - and parents will enjoy reading it too.