Dragons: Father and Son

PreS-Gr 2— Two dragons, a father and son, learn that there are many ways to be a dragon. One day Drake's father tells his son that he must go to the village and burn down a house. Why? It's tradition. So Drake flies to the village and picks a house to burn down but is interrupted by the excited shouts of a small boy, who is ecstatic that dragons exist. Drake is persuaded not to burn down that house and each subsequent substitution (the school, a fishing shack) is also squashed. Not only are the villagers crafty enough to subvert his fiery endeavors—they actually like dragons quite a bit. When he returns home, Drake is able to convince his father that there might be other ways to be famous. The cartoonish line-and-watercolor drawings are filled with gleeful and terrified expressions of the townspeople, and there are many smaller details that will reward repeated readings. Drake's father, drawn complete with muscle shirt and five—o'clock shadow, is incredibly expressive in his fuming anger and crankiness. The background is filled with the comedic antics of a village shocked by a dragon's appearance and the text moves speedily through the silly situations. Readers are sure to cheer when Drake discovers that he can be his own dragon, no burning down houses required.