A delightful adventure tale from author Tara Thomas-Sanderson about three children discovering the joys of playing together by making compromises and showing acceptance of each other.
Two Knights and a Princess Story Overview
Everyone understands the joy of playtime. This rhyming picture book has all the elements of an engaging adventure story and it’s sure to light up your child’s imagination. The story opens with the titular two knights and their princess wondering what game they should play. They each have different interests, and that’s making it challenging to decide on what to do.
The knights want to play pirate and sail across the sea. However, the princess wants to play dress-up using various tutus and crowns. Their bickering becomes too much, prompting the queen to intervene. She encourages them to play outside and find something they can all enjoy together.
So the three children wander off outside and discover a bright sunny day full of possibilities. They cross a moat, where they meet a sea serpent. They also brave the nearby spooky woods, which turns out to be a fun place as their exploration reveals cute animals and magical creatures.
Not long after, they encounter a dragon. They run in fear and hide behind the trees, leaving the tearful dragon upset. The poor creature has nobody who wants to play with him. The two knights and the princess soon realise that the dragon is no threat at all and to not judge a book by its cover. So they find a way to include the dragon in their games.
Thumbs Up for Teaching Inclusion
Both kids and parents will relate to the characters in Two Knights and a Princess. The fighting and bickering at the beginning of the story is typical of most young children. And the queen is that tough-love parent always trying to intervene. It also encourages kids to be considerate of each other, teaching them to make compromises until they find a common ground.
Thomas-Sanderson does a great job of illustrating inclusion and overcoming prejudice in the simplest terms. The children’s initial perception of the dragon was that of danger, which was why they ran away and hid. But when they heard the dragon cry they took the time to find out what was wrong.
The kids showed compassion and kindness to someone who was always viewed as a big, bad creature. It’s a great springboard for teaching children acceptance. But also not to hold on to unfounded judgments, and to give a chance to others. Especially those who may look or act differently from them.
A Joy for Beginning Readers
Tara Thomas-Sanderson has created wonderful watercolour illustrations for Two Knights and a Princess, which perfectly match her delightful rhymes. Each page has the ideal amount of words for a younger audience; it’s not intimidating for beginning readers. The big text makes it easy to read and the rhymes allow the kids to anticipate the story in advance, which is good for little games. Expect your kids to ask you to read it over and over again!
About Tara Thomas-Sanderson
Tara Thomas-Sanderson is the writer-illustrator of seven books inspired by her three children. She had always wanted to be a writer, ever since she was chosen for a Young Author’s Conference at the age of eight. Tara calls herself the world’s worst procrastinator, as it took her 30 years to start pursuing her dream. She writes short, easy-to-read books that cater to toddlers and preschoolers. Her goal is to create more books like Two Knights and a Princess, that both kids and grown-ups will enjoy reading.
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