HORACE THE HORRIBLE

A big, irascible knight, renowned for dragon-slaying and army-vanquishing, gets turned around by a determined, lonely child. Sent away to keep her from catching her royal father’s cold, Princess Minuette arrives unannounced at the castle door of Horace the Horrible. Greeting her admission that she misses her daddy by roaring that he’s better than the king in every way, Horace carries her off to demonstrate his knightly prowess—but so distracted is he that comic disasters ensue. Getting him to notice at last that she’s a “damsel in distress,” Minuette persuades him to doff his armor—“Are you mad? I haven’t had my armor off in public since I was a knave”—smell the flowers, and, best of all, give her a comforting hug. Huge, scowling, and armored like a tank, Horace towers over tiny Minuette in Urbanovic’s cartoon illustrations, though even before he’s down to his long johns it’s plain that both, along with fiery tempers, share the same carrot-hued hair. A salutary reminder that heroic deeds aren’t always the violent sort. (Picture book. 6-8)