By Tomie dePaola
A knight who's never fought a dragon and a dragon who's never fought a knight both study up for the big battle, then flop so badly they open a barbecue stand instead.
A knight has never fought a dragon. A dragon has never fought a knight. Neither has the faintest idea how, so both of them go to the library and read up on it, then spend ages building the gear and practicing their charge. When the big day finally comes, the whole thing is a glorious disaster: the knight's horse won't cooperate, the dragon's fire fizzles, and the pair of them end up tangled together in the castle moat. A princess who runs the library hands them a stack of how-to books, and the two former enemies figure out they'd both much rather cook. The last page is the Kbng Bar-B-Q, knight and dragon in business together.
For a child who wants knights and dragons but scares easily at an actual fight, this is the perfect first door. The 'battle' is pure slapstick, nobody gets hurt, and the two enemies become partners by the end. It also sneaks in a quiet idea a child will absorb without noticing: when you don't know how to do something, you go find a book about it. Tomie dePaola's warm, rounded art makes even the dragon look like someone you'd want to hug.