Edward is dressing in his knight uniform for school, complete with shield. He likes playing fighting dragons and ogres and giants, and he feels that the only solution to his fears about the new school is protection from those he is sure to find there. He discovers they ARE there, full of strange shapes and colours, and he turns in on himself, creeping out for playtime, where he finds that the situation is even worse than he thought. But, a little girl ogre is friendly and offers him some of her cake. Is it a trick, he wonders, but he wants the cake, so they share it. When a dragon appears and asks the two children if they'd like to play Hide and Seek, Edward isn't at all sure, but he does want to play with someone, so off they go. Soon he is into the fun all around him, and his armour simply fades away - all along it has been an unneeded protection, and he can now see the other children just as they really are. This is a simple story about the fears that children can have when experiencing new situations and their own imaginations take over. Edward is a sensitive little boy, and the illustrations show this beautifully. It is only when his battle is over that he finds the truth and we see the children as children. 'He knew his battle was over. Now the fun could begin.' Lovely and useful.