by Elys Dolan
Published on:  July 2, 2019

Knighthood for Beginners is the adorable (and silly) tale of a dragon named Dave who was terrible at being a dragon. He was terrible at hoarding gold, terrible at eating villages, terrible at knitting, and had stage fright when trying to give riddles out. However, he was good at reading books and after failing the dragon test, he picked up the book ‘Knighthood for Beginners’ and immediately knew what he wanted to do with his life.

Dave’s ‘Knighthood for Beginners’ provided him with a step-by-step instruction on how to be a knight and of course the first chapter addressed the trusty steed, which is how he meets Albrecht – a talking goat. Albrecht agrees to come out of retirement and to become Dave’s mentor, trainer, trusty steed, and life coach on his quest to become a knight.

However, getting a trusty steed is only chapter 1 of Dave’s “Knighthood for Beginners’ and Dave and Albrecht soon find themselves setting off to finish the rest of the chapter’s step-by-step instructions.

Elys Dolan’s Knighthood for Beginners is a fun, silly, and adorable tale to read. The book has a wide variety of adventures and individuals: including jousting, imprisonment, a witch, bad guys, and a bearded lady just to name a few. There are many, many pictures in the book which help demonstrate what Dave and Albrecht are encountering at any given time as well as bring out extra background humor. The chapters are just the right length and may even seem shorter than they are since there are a lot of pictures. The book also gives the reader a chance to learn a little German since Albrecht speaks it from time to time. (A list of the German words and their translation can be found at the end of the book.) There is also a lot of opportunities to act out the book and its funny moments – especially if it is being read aloud or with someone. At the end, the book leaves open the possibility for more Dave and Albrecht books, plus a “Where are they now” section that provides updates on all the reader’s favorites within the story.