Good Knight, Sleep Tight

The king's loyal knight is sent off on a quest of national urgency: find new stuffing for the bawling infant princess's pillow. The original stuffing for "the softest, fluffiest pillow in the kingdom" has been gleefully decimated by the "the fat royal cat," and the newborn princess cannot sleep—so no one else can either. The knight must find some "soft and fluffy" filler so everybody can get some rest. The gent bravely wrests potential pillow material away from the ravenous beasts (too scratchy, according to his steed) and wolves (too bristly), before hitting the jackpot with a treeful of birds, who gladly give up their downy feathers for their princess. Melling's (The Kiss That Missed ) storytelling feels a bit overlong, and there are really two endings: the princess won't go to sleep, even with her newly stuffed pillow, until her once-jealous big brother competently coaxes her with a cuddle. But Melling's watercolor-and-ink pictures bubble with a pleasing slapstick tone (the knight is constantly falling off his horse) and a mock-serio theatricality, while the narrative hints at just enough British urbanity to tickle the younger set ("Well really, it's hardly fair," complain the man-eating bears after their bottoms have been denuded of fur, "We just wanted a quick nibble"). A jovial offering. Ages 4-7. (Jan.)