The three little dragons a very good knight first befriended in Good Night, Good Knight (Dutton, 2000), and then nursed back to health in Get Well, Good Knight (Dutton, 2002), require his assistance again. They need a birthday present for someone special, but have no money to buy anything. It will be no surprise to readers already familiar with this entertaining series that the Good Knight comes to the rescue. He tries to help them make a birthday cake and a pop-up card, and also to practice a magic show. But each effort ends in disaster, dragon tears, and a big mess. After a lot of cleaning (“Scrubby, scrubby, scrubby . . . Swish, swish, swish.”) and a few more tears, the dragons reveal that—of course—their “someone special” is the Good Knight himself. Shelley Moore Thomas’s winning story is artfully told, with delightful, descriptive language and masterful use of repetition, making it a great choice for independent readers or for adults to read aloud. Jennifer Plecas adds to the fun with winsome, witty illustrations featuring the much beleaguered knight and his three big-eyed, scaly little charges. (Ages 5–8)

The much-loved Good Knight is back again . . . and it’s his birthday! His three little dragon friends want to surprise him. They try to make a cake—but all they make is a mess. A card? Another mess—glitter and glue all over the room.Then the theatrical performance is a flop.Time is running out, and the poor little dragons must find a special way to say Happy Birthday, Good Knight. They do, and it’s a good day’s fun in this perfectly pitched easy reader.

Good Night, Good Knight, the first in the Good Knight series, was an ALA Notable Book and a Booklist Top 10 Easy Reader, among other honors.