Customer Reviews

Brothers of the Knight

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
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I truly enjoyed this reading experience. It is cute and catchy and the illustrations are wonderful. On a deeper level I feel that this story speaks to parent-child communication. As adults, often times we may forget that our children are reflections of us. They come from us. They are the essence of our beings. Sometimes the very thing we try to suppress is the exact thing that our children are drawn to most. Why? Because they come from us. Part of us lives in them. Open, honest communication is the best way to plant seeds in our children's lives. Like a mirror looking back at you, our children will be what they see in us.

Peace

Reverend Knight, a straight-laced and dignified preacher and father of twelve wonderful sons, has a problem. Each morning his sons' shoes are utterly worn out, and no one can figure out how it happens. One day a miracle comes to the Reverend's home in the shape of a new nanny, sweet Sunday. Using a magic scarf, Sunday follows the young men across the rooftops of Harlem to the Big Band Ballroom, where they proceed to dance the night away--and their shoes to pieces. Now that she knows their secret, it is time to teach the young Knights a lesson, and maybe even their father as well.

My son selected this book, and I couldn't be happier. The story is a wonderful updating of the classic tale The Twelve Dancing Princesses, which is both magical and yet very real. The illustrations, by Kadir Nelson, are wonderful, adding some real power and animation to the story. I love this book, and recommend it to you with all my heart.

Rev. Knight is a fine, upstanding Harlem preacher with 12 sons and one dog. It's actually the dog who is telling the story. Quips he-- "That's right, I'm a talking dog. It's a magical story. (You didn't say anything when that pig was talking in that movie... quiet!)"

Rev. Knight, in addition to having 12 sons (and presumably a very full house and schedule) also has a problem: every night his sons go to sleep but wake up to find their shoes completely worn out. After a rotating slew of housekeepers fails to solve the mystery, radiant housekeeper Sunday moves in. As it turns out, the boys are sneaking out via a secret door in their very loooong bed with the aid of a pointy-eared fellow called the Cookie Man.

Once out of bed-- and out of the locked bedroom-- they proceed on to Big Band Ballroom where everyone dances the night away... Including Sunday, who has donned her special cloak of invisibility.

The story is both a retelling of "The 12 Dancing Princesses" and based on live performances at Kennedy center. However, it left ME (admittedly an adult who may be inclined to ask more probing questions than a younger audience) a bit curious. Secret door in the bed? The Cookie Man? Invisible cloak? Twelve sons and no mother? Dancing at the Big Band Ballroom all night? The story flows, but leaves me feeling like the author is telling the story to an audience who already knows more history of these folk than I do.

The brothers, for example, have wonderful names like Snacky, Lazy Leo and Big Fat Raoul "(likes to act a fool)", and obviously run the gamut in age from 7-17, but we don't know anything about them other than they like to dance (and I'm still curious as to how Rev. Knight GOT 12 sons-- adoption? Biological? Foster care? Homeless youth? What? ). Similarly, Sunday, who arrives with her Mary Poppins-like suitcase that holds a scarf of invisibility is not really well fleshed out, either. As for the Cookie Man, well...

The illustrations are simply amazing-- very lively and eye catching, reason enough to get the book. The language is contemporary and easily paced--the dog tells us that Tiny Tappin' Theo's dance partner ain't nearly as phat as that Irish setter down the street! It's a lively story with a surprise ending, but I'd still like to know, in more detail, who the main players are.

It's a wonderful story full of surprises. Exceptional pictures!

Brothers of the Knight, was a good read told by the family's dog, Happy. Happy tells us that some kind of way Reverend Knight's twelve sons shoes are always, "worn to threads, messed up, torn up, stinky, dirty, tacky, jacked up," but no one never knows how it happened. That is until the Reverend hires Sunday, the housekeeper, who has magical powers. The twelve brothers aren't sure, but they know that she knows their secret. Will Sunday keep their secret from their dad?

I liked it because it was funny and a mystery.

Reviewed by: Marquis, 7-years old

I was originally given this book as a gift from a friend, who is a librarian, when my grandson was born. He is now 10 years old and we both still enjoy this book! The characters are colorful and engaging. The story draws you in and makes you want to turn the page to find out what happens next! The pictures are beautiful and the fairytale portrayed is very enjoyable and comical. And the narrator is the best, a talking dog! Enchanting, delightful, colorful, with characters we can relate to! Brothers of the Knight captures the young reader from page one and holds their attention until the very end! What a fantastic way to introduce children to the fun that can be found in a book! Great job Debbie Allen! Angela-Harrisburg, PA

Reverend Knight is a pastor in Harlem and a father of 12 boys. In a search to solve the mystery of his sons' torn-up shoes he hires nanny Sunday. Nanny Sunday is taken on a dancing adventure when she discovers their secret!

This modern day twist of the German folktale, "The Twelve Dancing Princesses", is fun and exciting. Elements of jazz and regee are mixed up into both the writing and the illustrations. Told through the family dog, you will want to get up and dance after reading this picture.

What an imagination that Debbbie Allen has! This was a great book to read to my grandsons. It really kept their attention. The spirit of the book is fun and delightful. This is a great story.

Brothers of the Knight is a wonderful book that helps children see that dancing is not just for girls but for boys too.

I read this book first and foremost because I am a fan of Debbie Allen's. After reading the book, I was convinced that it deserves all the hype...not because of who Debbie Allen is, but because she has written a great children's book. The illustrations by Kadir Nelson are funny, colorful, cute, and charming.

"Brothers of the Knight" is told by the family dog, Happy. Rev. Knight has twelve sons and a mystery to solve in Harlem, New York. Why does each Housekeeper get fired or quit? How are the boys' shoes getting messed up? Will the story end happily ever after? Who upstages the dog in the end? I recommend this charming story book.

Review by:

Pamela Jarmon-Wade