Contents of blog copyright Book Dragon's Lair 2009-2023
I've been gone a while. I started reading fanfiction to escape and I got sucked in an abyss.

I have no idea if someone else is hosting similar challenges. I just grabbed some of what I have hosted before.

Here's to a happy year of great reading
Jan2023: Not much has changed. Writing a fanfiction now O_o as well as reading but I bought 7 new books in December and hope to get those read soon. Crossing fingers about adding challenges (late!)

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

There's No Such Thing as a Dragon

There's No Such Thing as a Dragon
by Jack Kent (1920-1985)

Random House
Golden Book (hardcover, 10x8.5)

32 pages
reading level: Baby-Preschool

(It will be available in paperback from Dragonfly Books in September)



Billy Bixby woke up one morning to find a dragon in his bedroom. It was about the size of a kitten. Now the size is important because when Billy told his mom, she said "There's no such thing as a dragon". The dragon is ignored all day and spends the day getting bigger. It also does several cat/dog like things that should have been disciplined but how do you discipline something if it doesn't exist?

Mom spends all morning doing her chores, having to go around the dragon, which I'm sure would have moved for her, even climbing in and out of windows to get around. Poor Mr. Bixby, by the time he came home for lunch, the dragon had gotten big enough to move the house when it chased the bakery truck!

The dragon shrinks back to kitten size and on the last page it is curled up on Mom's lap:
"I don't mind dragons THIS size," said Mother, "Why did it have to grow so BIG?"

"I'm not sure," said Billy, "but I think it just wanted to be noticed."

Profound words from a little boy.

This is a picture book with the print size/number of words per page that you'd expect from a picture book. The graphics are simple but very nice watercolors like the cover. The dragon is very cute and I wish I'd find one in my bedroom when I woke up one morning :-)

I feel there are two "morals to the story". The one on the last page but also, a mother's, or a father's, words make a world of difference.

No comments:

Disclaimer

In accordance to the FTC guidelines, I must state that I make no monetary gains from my reviews or endorsements here on Book Dragon's Lair. All books I review are either borrowed, purchased by me, given as a gift, won in some kind of contest, or received in exchange for an honest review.