Brothers of the knight - Softcover

Allen, Debbie

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0439367034 ISBN 13: 9780439367035

Publisher: Scholastic, 2003

Synopsis

This modern fable by actress-producer Debbie Allen is a hip retelling of the classic tale of The Twelve Dancing Princesses. Reverend Knight is at his wits' end. Why are his twelve sons' shoes worn to thread each morning when the boys claim to have been asleep all night? Then Sunday, the new housekeeper, arrives. Her voice is like a songbird's and her biscuits are "slap yo'self good." With the gift of magic, she discovers the boys' nightly trips to a swinging dance hall. They fear their father's disapproval, but Sunday knows they must be honest with him. Can she work her sweet magic on the Knight family--and is there a place in it for her? The multitalented Ms. Allen now proves herself to be a storyteller extraordinaire. Rising young artist Kadir Nelson's brilliant artwork bursts with color, richness, and energy, making this the perfect gift for funky, toe-tapping fun.

About this title

About the Author:

Debbie Allen is an award-winning producer, actress, director, and choreographer. Her books include Brothers of the Night, Dancing in the Wings, and Amistad: Give us Free. She lives in Los Angeles, California

Kadir Nelson, New York Times bestselling author and two-time Caldecott Honor winner lives in San Diego, California.

From School Library Journal:

Kindergarten-Grade 4-A spin-off of the Grimm tale, "The Twelve Dancing Princesses," this is the story of Preacher Knight and his attempts to solve the mystery of the worn-out sneakers he finds in his sons' room each morning. Believing that their father would not approve of their clandestine dancing at the Big Band Ballroom, the 12 boys refuse to confide in him. Only when the ingenious housekeeper, Sunday, attempts to reveal the brothers' secret is Reverend Knight's own predilection for dancing disclosed and the family-along with the bewitching Sunday-reconciled. The setting for Allen's fresh imagining is "a little village called Harlem." Her hip text is given spark and personality through the use of contemporary dialect: Sunday's cookies " were jump up and down, slap yo' own self in the face good!" The humor of the story is heightened by the artwork. Nelson's pencil drawings were photocopied and then painted in oils, producing a fine line, minutely detailed characters and settings, and expressively lit coloration. The strutting, high-stepping brothers are full of individuality, attitude, and movement. Text is boxed with old frayed sneakers and laces. Few elements of the Grimm tale remain, except the worn shoes, the illicit dancing, the outsider who solves the mystery, and the cloak of invisibility. However, new elements, such as the gender change and the brothers' motivation for secrecy, fit neatly. The choice of the family dog as narrator is the only false note. His expository remarks, though humorous, sometimes interrupt the flow. Still, don't let this small flaw keep this original title off your dance card.
Kate McClelland, Perrot Memorial Library, Greenwich, CT
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Scholastic
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0439367034
• ISBN 13: 9780439367035
• Binding: Paperback