Best Book about Knights!

Around here we read LOTS of books about knights, dragons, princesses and other cool stuff from the Middle Ages. LegoManiac has been a BIG knights and castles kind of kid since he was a "wee one", StringBean is a big princess fan (especially if they're dressed in pink ;-> ), and BamBam is ready to sit and listen and play war with anyone...

We've read all the standards -- but yesterday we read a book which the Easter Bunny HAS TO bring to LegoManiac: The Usborne Official Knight's Handbook by Sam Taplin. This is the best kids' book on knights and all things chivalrous I have ever seen (and believe me, I've seen lots). A four-chapter book that describes life from squirehood to retirement to a castle, the Knight's handbook addresses virtually every aspect of knighthood that a child could need. Proper terms are used and defined within the text so the children understand immediately the difference between a trebuchet and a catapult ... a destrier and a packhorse ... a lance and a spear.

At the end of the book, the author describes all the different parts of a coat of arms and than challenges the reader to create his/her own coat of arms.

The only slight irritant is the author's tounge-in-cheek (bordering on sassiness) in describing things, especially things about the Church's role in the Middle Ages. These are slight annoyances that can become "teachable moments".

Overall, though, this is the best book on all things chivalrous!