First up, I can't comment on the Hulu show that has been made of this book as it is not (yet) accessible in Canada. Second, when I requested this ARC I was not aware it was being made into a show; I just wanted to read a fairy tale with a 'twist'.

We start out very typical with "Once Upon a Time" and while it all ends with "Happily Ever After" the content in the middle of this knight's story is not quite what you'd expect. Written in rhyming couplets it's easy to find a flow and pace that works and keeps the story quite even throughout. But watch out, I found myself thinking, talking and writing in rhyme for a time (lol).
"The driver ran away and left the carriage to the thief.
Cedric peered from up above, behind an autumn leaf."

As I said, The Bravest Knight Who Ever Lived has a couple of twists on the 'typical' knight saving story. There are three distinct differences. First we have a female dragon (but don't worry she still breathes fire) and our knight saves, not only a princess, but her brother who is (of course) a prince. Our final twist is foreshadowed many times with the repetition of the line "this isn't how it ends". [SPOILER ALERT] The final twist is that in the end the knight doesn't want to marry the princess, he wants to marry the prince! There is even a moment of hesitation by the king that help us understand this is maybe a little different but okay in the end. The story is complete with a note from the United Nations (UN) that everyone should be free to be themselves.

Something interesting, that I noted right away, is that if you pick this book up and don't flip to read the end (only look at cover and blurb) you'd not guess at the ending. I like that this means children may choose the book without their parents necessarily censoring (ie: at the library) due to it's LGBTQ+ content. This helps get the message out that 'gay books' aren't to be flagged or called out. They are just the same as every other story book for children and should be consumed the same as any other story we read to kids.

This cute story, with it's fun illustrations has one flaw for me. Halfway through our boy, Cedric, is knighted by the one training him. However his trainer is a knight himself. Historically this would have been a king or queen bestowing the honour; but hey nobody likes hierarchical society anyways right? :)

Overall I can't speak highly enough to this story and it's subtle, yet strong messaging. Regardless of what makes you 'different', be it gender, race, religion, sexuality, etc.; we are all the same in the end. Each of us is on a quest to find our 'Happily Ever After'.

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

4 stars ⭐


This book is undeniably adorable!

It follows a little boy, Cedric, who loves pumpkins, in his journey to become a knight.

The artwork is absolutely beautiful and I love how there is rhyme throughout the story because it made the writing flow very nicely.

I also adore how this effortlessly includes LGBTQ+ characters and I think this would be an amazing book for young children, especially since it exposes them to those themes, teaching them to be accepting from an early age.

If you have a child in your life who loves reading, I would highly recommend this novel as a gift!

Super cute!

First, I think this is fantastic that the world is beginning to have alternate reading choices for kids. Second, the art in this is gorgeous and really well done. Third, the story itself is tremendously cute!

I didn’t love the rhyming – it didn’t always flow really smoothly and that was jarring sometimes, but the overall story and message was wonderful!

I loved the idea that the boy had an idea about who he was even when he was young and that manifested for the adult. Just like real life! This gives LGBTQ kids that idea that their feelings are “normal” too.

FWIW – my LGTBQ kid loved this too and was really energized by having read it!

4.5 of 5 stars

A really sweet children's story with a LGBT twist. I think this would be a great addition to an elementary school classroom library or a daycare center. This is a cute and innocent story, could make for a great introduction for a lesson on diversity.

An adorably sweet children's book about a young boy who becomes a knight! He knows his fairy-tale story ends a bit differently than what everyone seems to assume and finds his true love in the end. Refreshingly upbeat and a welcome addition to any LGBTQ children's book collection!

What little kid (as in still a toddler) cares about marriage, is the main question I have about this book. I liked it all in all, just why about the marriage? And I would have asked this if it was a man and a woman, or a woman and woman. Just reading to my four year old, and it felt odd to be talking about marriage at all, which my kid couldn't care less about. But the dragon was cool, and we both agreed we wouldn't want to feed a dragon, even if it only wanted to eat pumpkins.

This book was so cute. I read it to my little ones and they really loved it and asked if we could buy a copy of it for the house. It raised some interesting questions and was a great way to teach them that love knows no bounds and that people are free to love whomever their heart chooses. I would definitely recommend.

As a preschool teacher, I’m always looking for more diverse books for the classroom! With lovely illustrations and rhyming all the way through, I’m excited to introduce this one to my class!

The Bravest Knight Who Ever Lived is a quick, cute, and LGBTQ positive picture book that tells the story of a boy who grew up on a pumpkin farm and how he became a knight. The picture book is written in rhyming verse and is full of cute illustrations that match the story.

The art of The Bravest Knight Who Ever Lived is really nice to look at and beautifully illustrate the characters and narrative of the story. Although the picture book is only 40 pages long, it manages to tell an engaging and entertaining story. Now that I know the book has a HULU cartoon series, I will definitely be giving it a watch!

The end of the picture book features a message from the United Nations Humans Rights Office. In this message the states that the ‘world is made up of all kinds of people’ and that no one should be punished for being themselves. The message also talks about human rights, how people should be treated with respect, and how no children or young people should be bullied for being who they are and who they love.

Not only did this message tear me up a bit but its really important to talk about, especially in regards to children’s picture books.

I have previously talked about the importance of QUILTBAG representation in picture books before, but I cannot stress how important books like The Bravest Knight Who Ever Lived are, as it is so essential to include diversity in children’s books. We need stories that normalise our differences, teaching children about equality and acceptance.

VERDICT
I would really recommend The Bravest Knight Who Ever Lived to every parent or person looking to purchase inclusive junior books. Not only is the book a positive representation but it is a cute and entertaining one. There is action, there are rhymes, and there are pumpkins 🎃

Please note: I received a copy of The Bravest Knight Who Ever Lived from NetGalley.

This was so adorable! I wish I had a child in my life to read this to because I feel like it’s so important to normalise things especially for children. Cedric was a joy to read about. This truly warmed my heart.

*thank you to Netgalley, Schiffer Publishing Ltd and Daniel Errico for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*


"No one should be punished for being themselves. No one should be treated unfairly because of whom they love." 


4 stars.

This is not your standard Knight story. The knight doesn't slay the dragon and then marry the Princess. No, that is not how this story goes. Yeah there is a dragon (Yay!) and yes there is a Prince and Princess that are saved, but it's not the Princess that the Knight Cedrick has his eyes on. This story made me smile such girly smile by the end of it. It is just so adorable and the message it sends to children of all ages is that love is love, no matter your gender.

The use of water colours in the artwork give this such a beautiful and bright look to the illustrations. At first I wasn't sure about the water colours based on the cover, but they really do look amazing. I would imagine that as an actual physical copy they would look even better. A beautiful story for the LBGTQ community and one the author, Daniel Errico, and illustrator, Shiloh Penfield should be proud of.

Well, this picture book made my heart sing. Not only does it teach kids that is is perfectly ok to love who you love, but it also shows that you can become anything you want even if you're from humble beginnings. This book is going to do great things for children and their self-esteem. I am beyond grateful to the publisher for sending me a copy to review. I can't wait to get it in my branch of Waterstones and read this one for storytime.

A beautifully illustrated children's book about Cedric who fulfils his childhood wish of becoming a knight but is unsure if his fairytale ends with marrying a princess.

Great rhyming writing style that would work really well-read aloud to a child, I also think this book would be a great way to start conversations about relationships with young people.

Cute story with a great message. Even a brave knight deserves to find his happily ever after with his prince charming. The illustrations are adorable too.

The Bravest Knight Who Ever Lived will be the perfect addition to our classroom. A book filled with people being themselves, living their lives. The story of knight who knew it didn't end with a princess for him. He found his prince and the king was confused, but came around. Very reminiscent of The Prince and Knight, but the more books we have like this in our classroom the more we can create acceptance around the idea.

This was such a lovely story! I thought that the images were lovely, the story had a lovely flow to it and some excellent characters too. It is 5 stars from me, it was well written and I loved the ending – very highly recommended!!

Sometimes all you really need is a children's book with pretty pictures and rhyming words.

Cedric loves two things - pumpkins and playing at being a knight. Maybe one day he'll get to be the real thing.

But he knows one thing for sure - a princess isn't where his story will lead.

The storybook follows Cedric as he becomes a real knight, and then saves his prince. From a ferocious fire-breathing dragon, of course.

I was thoroughly entertained for the few minutes it took to read through this little tale. It's not preachy, but does manage to get the point across - love is love. It's a sweet story, and one I hope might help little boys and girls confused about their own feelings find something to relate to.

10/10 would recommend reading 'The Bravest Knight Who Ever Lived' to any little ones in your house. 10/10 would recommend reading this for fun, regardless of your age.

The Bravest Knight Who Ever Lived pushes inclusion 40 pages in the right direction. The focus of this archetypal or paradigmatic traditional tale is not differentiation or discrimination. Instead of fighting bigotry, Cedric heroically fights a dragon, and bravely requests the fairy tale ending he has in mind for himself.

Cedric is a solid protagonist in his own right: friendly, adventurous, brave, humble, and a quick thinker. There isn’t just one label that makes Cedric the person he is. Through his actions, we see his many traits and understand that one or two labels wouldn’t comprise Cedric’s character. The Bravest Knight Who Ever Lived stands out because it isn’t a book about overcoming labels. Cedric isn’t not simply a boy from a poor farming family; he’s not a simply a young squire eager to prove himself; and he’s not even a knight seeking glory. This wonderful book illustrates the courage of a boy being accepted and valued for being exactly the person he is, without pretending to be something he’s not and without allowing preconceptions to shape his life.

Daniel Errico’s book has an inspiringly powerful ending, but there’s more to like about it. One of the things I liked most about this story is that the oldest character is the one who opened his mind and his heart. Standing before his son and daughter, the king is the only one thrown by the juxtaposition of the relationship Cedric proposes, but only momentarily; he reconciles his confusion quickly when he sees the way Cedric and the prince look at each other. Shiloh Penfield’s illustrations capture this profound moment in which the king who, quickly and of his own volition, overcomes his preconceived notions about love and demonstrates acceptance. Sometimes, the best children’s books are those in which lessons are imparted upon adult characters rather than the young ones.


Thanks to Schiffer Publishing Ltd and NetGalley for the provided e-ARC and the opportunity to read this book. My review is honest, unbiased, and voluntary. #NetGalley #TheBravestKnightWhoEverLived

4.5 Stars

I loved the plot, the art (especially the adorable pumpkin boy, Cedric), and the sincere message the book sends! It’s cute, overall. However, there were times when the rhyming was distracting because of the amount of repetition of certain simple words (ex. too). It stood out, pulled me out of the story, and instead made me wonder why that certain word had been picked instead of another. It’s easy for children to forgive this though or even for it to go unnoticed by them, which is why I gave it a 4.5 (rounding up to 5) and not a 4.

In so many ways, I found <I>The Bravest Knight Who Ever Lived</I> by Daniel Errico and Illustrated by Shiloh Penfield to be one of the best children’s books I have ever read. I feel truly grateful to live in a time where a book like this has been published and frankly a little disgusted that it’s only now that this is becoming somewhat more common. <I>The Bravest Knight Who Ever Lived</I> is a Story about a Knight who saves and falls in love with a Prince. And I loved every second of reading it.

The story begins with young Cedric, growing up on a pumpkin farm and dreaming of the day when he might become a knight. He soon meets a real Knight who takes him in as an apprentice and one day knights Cedric when he retires. And thus begins the brilliant journey and adventure of the now teenage knight. And as is to be expected, he one day comes across a castle guarded by a fire-breathing dragon who is holding a young Prince and his sister captive. Though many nights have tried to save them, they have all been roasted in the process.

This was a beautifully woven story, one that I know I will treasure for years to come. And I think it will be treasured by many, many people who get a chance to read it. As a children’s book there is so much to be gained by having kids read this. Not only does it increase the ability for people who identify with it to see themselves in a story, but it also breeds acceptance. At the end of the day, <I>The Bravest Knight Who Ever Lived</I> is a Story about love and adventure. It’s one that has been told with straight couples far more times than I could even begin to count. I’m glad to see it told now for others. I hope to see more in the future.

I would definitely suggest this book for just about everyone I know. It should be in all the schools and it should 100% be a book all children are introduced to.

<I>I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</I>