The duo behind The Snatchabook takes readers back to medieval times to meet Leo the mouse, "a gentle knight/ in thought and word and deed." Leo would rather read than fight, and readers first see him contentedly perched on a tree branch with his nose in a book while a melee unfolds in the valley below-a scene that brings to mind another happy pacifist, Ferdinand. Sent packing to fight a local dragon ("One morning Leo's parents said/ they'd like to have a chat./ There was nothing wrong with reading,/ but he couldn't just do that!"), Leo encounters three belligerent beasts-a pugilistic griffin, a ravenous bridge troll, and finally the fiery red dragon-and persuades them to become peace-loving bibliophiles by showing them that they are stars in the storybooks he's brought along. (With such a gift for handselling, Leo could easily make it work as a bookseller if the knight thing doesn't work out.) Helen Docherty's breezy rhyming and Thomas Docherty's lighthearted, imaginative cartooning make this a sweet, fresh take on the typical reading-is-fun tale, while also slyly nodding to our culture of personal celebrity. Ages 4-up. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

A gentle young knight who prefers reading to fighting, Leo gives in to parental pressure and goes forth to tame a dragon. Soon he encounters a fearsome griffin. Awed but quick-witted, he disarms the beast with a storybook featuring a griffin. After fending off a hungry troll with the same strategy, he reaches the town that the dragon has trashed. Encountering the troublemaker, he promises to read a dragon book aloud . . . after the creature cleans up the place. Leo goes home a hero and earns the right to read in peace. A plot summary doesn't do justice to the childlike charm and wit of this colorful picture book. The rhythmic, rhyming stanzas roll along at a good pace, and the dialogue offers potential for crowd-pleasing dramatic interpretation in read-aloud sessions. Acrylic ink drawings with bright watercolor washes define the expressive characters and create the lively medieval settings. First published in England as The Knight Who Wouldn't Fight, this appealing picture book features an endearing hero and a good balance of tension and humor.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2016 Booklist