Rather, his actions and good-natured smile speak for themselves. Her little jester has barely any dialogue through the story. She uses blue and gold for both the jester’s costume and the backgrounds of her drawings to evoke France and Catholicism as key elements of the setting.

Olofsson’s illustrations also harken back to bygone times, painted in the style of illuminated manuscripts. Read The Little Jester aloud the same way you would an old fairy-tale or fable because the tone of the text is very similar. He delights the monks with his tricks but is about to be thrown out by the Abbot, until the monks realize the jester’s performance has transformed their beloved painting of a weeping Madonna into a smiling Madonna. Swedish author Helena Olofsson crafts a feel-good picture book tale about a little jester who seeks shelter at a monastery in France. The Little Jester by Helena Olofsson, Translated by Kjersti Board Sprinkled with amusing notebook entries from Jared’s conversations with jester-expert Professor Krinklecut, Kyi’s novel is equally sprinkled with life lessons about finding a healthy creative outlet for boundless energy. Plus, it’s not just about getting attention by performing Jared learns jesters can work in subtler ways, helping to diffuse arguments with their tricks-a skill that proves useful when playground bullies threaten his friends. Once he discovers jesting, Jared is able to focus all his energy on his new passion and without realizing it, he becomes more determined, confident, and organized.

Trouble-maker Jared Lester finds his calling as a present-day court jester, winning a school talent contest and earning a chance to perform for the Queen of England while she tours North America. Jared Lester Fifth Grade Jester by Tanya Lloyd Kyi So, put on a jangling hat and check these titles out! Today, I feature picture books and chapter books for young readers and in mid-April, I’ll showcase Middle Grade and Young Adult novels. It’s All Fools’ Day and so I’m devoting my April posts to books about the colourful court jester characters of children’s literature.Ī number of celebrated authors have used court jester or fool protagonists, from picture books to young adult novels, capturing themes of free speech, self-expression, and of course, the importance of humor.

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