George the Knight. (Tadpoles). Leon Read. Illustrated by Clare Elsom. St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2011. 24 pp., pbk. & hc., $7.95 (pbk.), $18.36 (RLB.). ISBN 978-0-7787-0589-5 (pbk.), ISBN 978-0-7787-0578-9 (RLB). Preschool-grade 1 / Ages 4-6. Review by Shannon Ozirny. *** /4

Part of Crabtree's "Tadpoles" easy reader series, George the Knight is a sparse, simple tale about imaginative play and a mean big brother. In a bright, realistically cluttered family room, George dresses up as a knight while his older brother snidely points out how the costume is lacking. After gathering some makeshift additions to his costume (a sword, shield, and horse), George manages to impress his older brother who finally exclaims, "Wow, George! Now you are a knight."

      Using only 15 different words and a total of 11 sentences, this book will be best for the youngest burgeoning readers and parents who specifically request readers with low word counts. The "Notes for adults" section at the back of the book also supplies some quality advice to parents and gives useful prompts to encourage dialogic reading and emphasizing fun while reading with children.

      The illustrations are bright and cartoon-like with double-paged, wordless spreads alternating with the text pages. These wordless spreads not only give beginning readers a break from decoding, but they also encourage visual literacy. Each spread has an "I spy" feel as George makes a huge mess with toys and craft supplies while working on his knight costume.

      Although the book's layout feels hastily arranged (the text clumsily overlaps with the illustration on the first page and a "Puzzle Time" section at the back is awkward) this is a solid addition to collections in need of more material for the youngest beginning readers.

Recommended.

Shannon Ozirny is the Acting Head of Youth Services at the Port Moody Public Library and has a Master of Arts in Children's Literature.

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Published by The Manitoba Library Association ISSN 1201-9364

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