Custard the Dragon and the Wicked Knight (Library of Nations)
Kindergarten-Grade 4?As she did in The Tale of Custard the Dragon (Little, 1995), Munsinger brings Nash's appealing cowardly dragon to life through her lively ink-and-watercolor illustrations. Belinda is kidnapped by the notorious Sir Garagoyle and it is Custard, not the child's other reluctant pets, who sets out to rescue her. " 'Well,' said Custard, 'at least I'm in the mood/To be the toughest chicken that was ever chewed.' " Munsinger's deft portrayal of the poem's action and characters is a perfect match for Nash's clever wordplay. Her paintings, whether of the arrival of the evil Sir Garagoyle ("You could tell he was wicked, for he reeked of roguery") or of Custard's rescue flight ("With headlight eyes and spikes a-bristle/He pierced the air like a locomotive whistle") perfectly convey the poem's light tone. Thanks to Munsinger for introducing a new generation to Belinda and her "realio, trulio, little pet dragon."?Kathleen Whalin, Greenwich Country Day School, CTCopyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.