Good Knight, Sleep Tight by David Melling (Hodder Children's Books)

We were lucky enough to meet David Melling at a recent Hugless Douglas book event in one of our local bookstores recently. I don't think he knew who we were though, but he was a very busy guy so we'll forgive him! Tucked into our library book bag was a copy of this very book (which we couldn't get him to sign because it was a library book!) and it's another brilliant story from David Melling's 'fairy tale' trilogy (including "The Kiss that Missed" and "The Three Wishes".

Once again the kingdom turns to a brave and gallant knight to do his duty, this time to ensure that a fussy princess gets a good night's sleep. She won't stop crying as she can't get comfortable, and so the knight must ride out into the sunset to find something warm and snuggly to fill her pillow with.

Bear hair? Oooh too scratchy by half!

Feathers? A bit crackly!

So what on earth can the knight find that will do the job? With his sturdy steed, he roams the countryside, fights hordes of creatures (or at least persuades them to donate their fur and fuzz to his noble cause) but will he make it back before bedtime? And what will the knight eventually choose?

As with all David's books, we sit for hours delighting in the delicious little details in each of his story panels. If there's a successful mathematical formula that contributes towards the perfect bedtime story, this man knows the secret, keeps it locked up in a safe, and brings it out from time to time to take it for a walk across the page.

Lovely. We look forward to reading "The Three Wishes" next!

Charlotte's best bit: Hilarious bear expressions seem to be something Charlotte always looks for in David's books (and there are some corkers in this one!)

Daddy's favourite bit: Love those tree creatures!