Sleep Tight, Little Knight

A very simple book, with very few words used in the telling of a soothing story.

Armour is heavy, and Little Knight is glad to shed his on the way to nighttime routines of brushing teeth, using the toilet and donning pyjamas. A friendly little cat with a white-and-cocoa-hued coat who accompanies Little Knight throughout the book watches his every move. With his onesie (with a clever detail of a piece of chocolate cake on the front) carefully buttoned up over his squishy-looking small form, Little Knight notices something.

A falling star has landed on the bed, and Little Knight tenderly puts

it under his pillow. The pointy ends prick Little Knight’s ears, so he

tucks the star under the covers. But the star pricks

his belly. How will he ever get to sleep?

Little Knight’s idea to bang a nail into the wall and hang the star up over the bed provides the solution – almost, as the nail doesn’t quite hold, and the star falls down and onto the bed. Bartlett (name mentioned only once) the cat retrieves it and is seen on the last page curled up on a cushion, weary head resting on the star.

Every word has been deftly chosen, and every detail of the somewhat spare images defined by soft black lines and surrounded by lots of white space enhance the little vignette. Wrought-iron candle sconces, a stone surround to a doorway and large and slightly uneven typeface add a touch of the medieval. Whether we are watching the cat gleefully unfurling the toilet roll or Little Knight splayed out on top of the covers, finally asleep, we are happy to be observers here.

Veteran Quebec author Gilles Tibo has over 70 titles to his credit. Here, he collaborates in the fourth of a series about Little Knight with Geneviève Després, herself much-published as an illustrator. (Her pictures for Laurent, C’est Moi was a finalist for the 2019 Governor General’s Literary Award -- French language - Illustration).

A small paperback, Sleep Tight, Little Knight is certainly a worthwhile purchase for most picture book collections.