Miguel's Brave Knight: Young Cervantes and His Dream of Don Quixote

Beautiful and engaging, this book will inspire readers to find out more.

Engle's free-verse biography of Miguel Cervantes, the creator of Don Quixote, portrays the life of a boy in 16th-century Spain. The son of a compulsive gambler beset by debt collectors ("They even took our beds and plates./ Where will we sleep?/ How will we eat?"), Miguel imagines for himself a gallant savior, a theme Engle (Lion Island) returns to repeatedly: "A tale about a brave knight/ who will ride out on/ a strong horse/ and right/ all the wrongs/ of this confusing/ world." Miguel's father works as a barber until his demons get the better of him and he gambles everything away again. Poems about contemporaneous events--the plague, book burning--add depth to Engle's representation of the era. Colon's noble portraits, done in pen, ink, and watercolor, recall the work of classic popularizers such as N.C. Wyeth and the D'Aulaires. Even readers who don't progress to Cervantes's own work will come away with an indelible sense of the story and its creator. Author's notes provide background material. Ages 8-12. Author's agent: Michelle Humphrey, Martha Kaplan Agency. Illustrator's agency: Morgan Gaynin. (Oct.)

Gr 3-6--In a collection of poems, Engle explores the great Spanish writer's early beginnings. Miguel Cervantes's vivid imagination and love of storytelling are presented against the backdrop of his difficult childhood as the son of a vagabond barber-surgeon who often gambled away his family's money. Despite the constant relocation across Spain because of his father's debts, the boy reveled in dreaming about a bumbling knight slaying imaginary monsters. His adoration of books and learning kept him going, and Engle's mastery of the written word is evident in these lyrical verses. Colon's pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations are paired perfectly with the text and the subject. The sketchy browns, beiges, and teals give a dreamy quality to the narrative, and Cervantes's imaginings often float above renderings of his real-world setting. The poems' headings are presented in bold type and in faint watercolor, adding visual drama to the pages. Don Quixote appears beside the last poem, reminding readers of Cervantes's legacy. The book concludes with author's and illustrator's notes, historical and biographical notes, and more information about how Don Quixote, published in 1605 and credited as the first modern novel, has inspired artists for centuries. VERDICT This expressive picture book biography presents a solid argument for why Cervantes should be revered as an important figure in the Western canon. A gorgeous and well-crafted work for all nonfiction collections.--Shelley M. Diaz, School Library Journal