Mur, the Kitty-Knight Adventures in the Fairy-Tale Animal World

"Mur, the Kitty-Knight: Adventures in the Fairy-Tale Animal World" by Igor Shnayder is a delightful collection of eleven illustrated fairy tales that follow Mur, a brave and kind-hearted kitten who dreams of becoming a knight. Each story presents Mur with various challenges and adventures, from rescuing lost creatures to solving mysteries, all while imparting valuable moral lessons about friendship, bravery, wisdom, and compassion. The book is enriched with vibrant illustrations that bring the enchanting animal world to life, making it an engaging read for children aged 5 to 12. Whether enjoyed as bedtime stories or for independent reading, Mur's adventures are sure to inspire and entertain young readers.

The illustrations in this book are gorgeous and well-done. Each story has a nice moral for children of all ages.

The Kitty Knight is the tale of cats seeking adventure in medieval times. The colorful illustration is gorgeous. I recommend this book for my nieces.

"Mur, the Kitty-Knight Adventures in the Fairy-Tale Animal World" by Igor Shnayder is a delightful collection of children's tales about a kitten prodigy who becomes a knight so that he can help others. "World, meet Mur," the hero's mother introduces him, upon his birth. She recognizes that Mur has a very special gift to give to the world. As he grows, Mur demonstrates a great passion for helping others, such as rescuing his sister when she becomes stuck in a tree and finding a lost squirrel. Each story builds the moral character of the kitten as he grows from childhood to his youthful time of learning with his enlightened teacher, Master Shurko, to his growth as an eager Kitten-Knight, to his eventual transformation into a wise cat-knight who teaches others about the importance of being a compassionate peace-maker rather than a violent, glory-seeking fighter. I truly enjoyed these tales of Mur. The illustrations at the beginning of each chapter were stunningly beautiful. The stories were interconnected, each one building on the one before. They are told in the traditional style of classic fairy tales, with a distant narrative voice relaying the stories to the reader. I feel that this adds to the charm of the book. It is a gently rolling narrative that will be refreshing and reassuring to children and parents alike. There is some advanced vocabulary, so it is suited for slightly older children (ages five to twelve) who may learn new words by looking them up in the dictionary (example: the word "decoction" is one I have never heard, but it is in the dictionary.) Younger children will enjoy it as a read-aloud story, reading with parents or older siblings. I also loved the many colorful characters that Mur met on his journey, from the Golden Butterfly to the angry red Dragon to a bear who terrorizes bees, known as "The Great Honey Thief." Mur helps each one of these beings that he meets, even those who are at first fighting against him. He deals with each of them in a humane and compassionate manner. He favors peaceful negotiation over sword fights, only fighting as a last resort. The "villains" are soon won over by Mur's loving strength. In a couple of tales, such as "The Royal Ball", I felt that the action resolved a little too soon. The rebels in this chapter seemed to surrender to Mur almost immediately, without question. I felt as though the character of "Baron Boar", the leader of the rebels, could have been a good foil for Mur in the same way that the angry red dragon or the Great Honey Thief were, but we aren't given much insight into his motivations for leading a rebellion. I wondered why the rebels were plotting against Queen Fox: Did they have a cause for complaint? I really liked the chapter about the tournament, because it turned the usual competitive way of doing things on its head. Mur encourages the fighters to share their experiences with each other, and the people change their attitudes from winning at all costs to sportsmanship and cooperation. I also liked that the hero did not win first prize, as that was different from most stories. I would rate "Mur, the Kitty-Knight" 5 stars because of its well-written, sometimes almost poetic prose, and its beautiful message of friendship and peace. In a world where violence and competition are routinely emphasized on TV and video games, Mur's message of kindness, extended even to his enemies, brings a spiritual depth to this story that children and their parents will enjoy and appreciate.