The Knight who said ‘No!’, text by Lucy Rowland, illustrations by Kate Hindley Review by Lynda Waterhouse

Ned is the one and only child in the village. He is a little knight who likes to say ‘Yes’ and to do what he is told straight away, be it washing up, picking up cabbages or obeying orders to go indoors when the dragon arrives.

Then Ned wakes up on the morning:

‘He felt quite odd: all hot inside,

And cross from top to toe.

He shook his head from side to side

And then Ned answered…NO’

This prickly feeling lasts all day with Ned testing out the power of ‘No’ well into the night when he refuses to go inside and hide from the dragon, with surprising results.  

His friendship with the dragon helps those angry, prickly, lonely feelings to disappear for the moment. The story is not preachy but Ned learns that there is a time for ‘Yes’ and a time for ’No’ and that it is OK to have those prickly cross feelings. I also like the hint at Ned’s developing empathy when he has an inkling that the dragon might be all alone like him.

Lucy Rowland’s text is written in rhyme with a lively rhythm that children will enjoy listening to, anticipating the next line and joining in. The language is rich. This is a book to be read, re-read and enjoyed! Kate Hindley’s distinctive, colourful and bold illustrations have a vintage and folk art feel reminiscent of Pat Hutchins. They beautifully capture Ned’s world, his changing moods and his relationship with the dragon.

The book also has a QR code for a free audio reading.

Nosy Crow

ww.nosycrow.com

ISBN 978 1 78800 208 0

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Don't Call Me Choochie Pooh! by Sean Taylor and Kate Hindley, reviewed by Pippa Goodhart

This is a delight of a book.  A small dog in a big pink bow is fed-up with being called Choochie Pooh or Ickle Pickle Woof Woof or Incy Wincy Cupcake, and being carried about in a handbag.  After all, she's 'an ordinary, proper dog'.  It's so embarrassing to be seen being kissed and called those silly names!  But the other dogs, 'barking, getting muddy and doing proper dog things' let Choochie Pooh join in.  It's all going so well ...



... until her owner calls for her, "Off we go Oopsie Boopsie Choochie Pooh!"  How will the other dogs react?  After all, they'd never get called such silly names ... would they?


The glory of the story is the essential truth in it that any child will recognise; the embarrassment that a parent/owner can be, but also the fact that we've all got to suffer them!  And the pictures by Kate Hindley are full of action, beauty and comedy.  Highly recommended for children ... and for 62 year old husbands.  Mine loved this as a Valentine's present.  And, no, I don't call him Choochie Pooh!

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