"The Night Knights" by Gideon Sterer and Cory Godbey, at first glance, looks exactly the opposite of a book that should calm your little ones down before sleepytime.
It has a dark fantastical cover, and even the title doesn't give much away. But break this out before bedtime and we guarantee your little ones will love the theme of having secret Knight watchmen to keep them safe from monsters, ghouls, ghosts and all other nocturnal miscreants that lurk around the house or under the bed.
The Night Knights are relentless in their quest to keep all sleeping children safe. As soon as dusk arrives they are on duty, taking up arms and assuming the best tactical positions to ensure that your little ones don't even hear as much as a scrape or scuffle, a howl or a hoot.
The gentle lyrical storytelling is soothing and reassuring, with the utterly amazing illustrations showing those Knights doing what they do best.
It really is a fantastic book this, perfect for your little ones if they love fantasy themes, knights in armour (including quite a few awesome kick-ass female ones, we noted with glee) and of course the odd spooky monster or two getting its butt kicked.
C's best bit: Absolutely loved the action scenes as the Knights go to work on those nasties.
Daddy's favourite bit: Such a simple idea but so wonderfully executed. What a cracking bedtime read!
"The Night Knights" by Gideon Sterer and Cory Godbey is out now, published by Abrams Books for Young Readers (kindly supplied for review).