DRAGON NIGHT

A boy and a dragon bond over a
shared fear—sort of.

Actually, “Georgie is afraid of the
night,” and the dragon that crawls out of his copy of St. George and the Dragon is (with some justice!) “afraid of the
knight.” The mutual anxiety is close enough, though, to send both winging out
through Georgie’s bedroom window in search of safety. The two come at last to
rest on a dark hillside, where the dragon points out stars, shooting stars, and
the soothing sounds of crickets to the boy in its lap—and next day, back in the
bedroom, Georgie returns the favor, concocting a safe haven for the dragon by
creating a new story book with a friendlier knight. Cozy interchanges between
the two (“ ‘Will the knight want to fight?’ asks the dragon. ‘Instead of
fighting, the knight loves to play catch,’ replies Georgie. ‘What if the knight
doesn’t like me?’ asks the dragon. ‘Don’t worry,’ says Georgie. ‘I’ll help you’
”) give the narrative an intimate tone that Krause reinforces with shadowy
pictures, done in thick lines and dark hues, pairing a tiny boy who presents
Asian and an improbably huge but vulnerable-looking, even at times tearful,
dragon.

Well-crafted bedtime reading
featuring an unusually captivating monster. (Picture book. 5-7)