Close-Reading "Knight Owl" by Author and Illustrator Christopher Denise

Knight Owl, Christopher Denise

Despite his size, a little owl follows his dream to become a knight. While working the night shift, he befriends the dragon who’s been menacing the castle.

Of course, there are many reasons why this book is such great fun.The book is whimsical without being saccharine. It has a great moral without being preachy. And, like all great picture books, details in the art enhance the text, so that the book is richly interactive.

Let’s take a look at a few of the major craft elements that make Knight Owl work:

1. The initial problem of the story is one with which kids can identify. Owl has big dreams–he wants to become a knight. He surprises everyone when he gets accepted to Knight School, but he has a problem. He’s small! The swords and shields that the other knights use are too big and heavy. This is an experience that kids understand. What child has not, at one point or another, felt too small to live out their big dreams? What child has not been told, “You’re too young,” or “When you’re bigger…”? Owl is a deeply relatable protagonist, and the trajectory of his story is a recognizable one.

2. There’s a fun twist–pizza! Owl makes it through Knight School and is assigned the Knight Night Watch, which he’s good at because he’s nocturnal. When the dragon shows up, Owl cleverly convinces the dragon that a tiny Owl would not make a very good snack. Then, he does something silly and unexpected–he offers the dragon pizza instead. This playful twist is the kind of surprise that readers enjoy, kids and adults alike.

3. The text includes smart wordplay and sound-play that is fun to read aloud. I once read that a successful picture book is like “performance art between two covers.” This is an excellent way to express that picture books are written to be read aloud, as their target audience are children who are not yet reading independently. The best picture books play with sounds and words so that they can be read aloud with joyful energy. Knight Owl is no exception. Even the title is a play on words. Owl’s natural “whoo, whoo” call is perfect fodder for wordplay, as the dragon “whooshes” in and Owl demands to know who’s there.

What lessons can aspiring picture book writers take from Christopher Denise’s Knight Owl?

• Compelling stories for young children should be new and exciting, but they should also be relatable. Ask yourself what universal childhood experience is at the heart of your story. If there isn’t one, consider making revisions.

• Relatable does not mean predictable. Think pizza; your book should have a twist or should resolve in an unexpected way. Best case scenario: the twist occurs after a page turn and makes both children and adults smile with surprise.

• Read your manuscript out loud, and ask trusted friends or family to do the same. What makes it fun to read aloud? It might be rhyme, wordplay, sound-play, musicality, or some combination of these elements. Highlight sentences or sections that you stumble over when reading out loud, then revise until they roll off the tongue.

Knight Owl, written and illustrated by Christopher Denise, was published by Christy Ottaviano Books in 2022.