Nick the Knight wants to fight a dragon. And just his luck, there is a dragon, Breakhorn, that everyone is afraid of that lives on top of the mountain near his home. This is the perfect chance for him to prove how brave of a knight he really is. However, Breakhorn does not feel like fighting. Nick comes up with clever ways of trying to get Breakhorn to fight. However, Breakhorn just does not want to fight. No matter what Nick tries. What is a poor brave knight to do? The obvious twists of why the dragon does not want to fight and the fact that a friendship between knight and dragon occurs, will not surprise the adult reader. However, a child might be surprised how the conflict is solved in a very contemporary way.
Aron Dijkstra’s Nick the Knight, Dragon Slayer is a nice book to read to a child. Any child who likes knights and dragons will especially enjoy it. It is also geared to the parents with its modern take on how to resolve conflicts and with the “being friends with the enemy” mentality. The “nothing is what it seems” is also prominent, but a bit cliched. The illustrations are lighthearted and almost abstract. They help keep the story from becoming too scary for the younger reader. Bright colors also work towards this goal.
Overly simplistic for the adult reader, younger children reading it or having it read to them will enjoy. It has a few holes in the text (one part left me a bit confused), yet, you can easily pick up the flow again.
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