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WISHING FOR A DRAGON

Sweet and appealing.

While the rest of the house is sleeping, three imaginative children go on an exciting journey.

The sun is setting outside their bedroom window, but Olive, Barney, and narrator Ella (who sports a red tutu and golden crown) are wide awake and ready for adventure. Ella wants to see a dragon. Fortunately, a hot air balloon floats by, and the trio hops in. They drift to the sea and board a pirate ship, whose one-eyed captain is a bear—not a dragon. Failing to convince him to share his treasure, they hie off to a jungle, where they find “all kinds of animals and birds”—but no dragon. Three sets of yellow eyes stare out at them from the darkness. These belong to a trio of tigers, mama and two cubs. Sensing danger, the children run back to their balloon, escaping the pouncing mama tiger just in time. Suddenly, “the sky fills with inky clouds,” and lightning flashes near the balloon. Ella cries, “Stop!” and the balloon crashes down in a magical land. There, Ella finally meets her dragon, who flies the children back to their bedroom before soaring out of sight. Cameron’s story is routine, but her fresh illustrations, which have the child-friendly look of Tony Ross’, are delightful. Careful readers will have noted the toys and household pets in the children’s bedroom that morph into characters during their adventure.

Sweet and appealing. (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: April 9, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-4449-3622-3

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Hodder Children's Books/Hachette UK

Review Posted Online: Jan. 14, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2019

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THE WILD ROBOT ON THE ISLAND

A hymn to the intrinsic loveliness of the wild and the possibility of sharing it.

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What happens when a robot washes up alone on an island?

“Everything was just right on the island.” Brown beautifully re-creates the first days of Roz, the protagonist of his Wild Robot novels, as she adapts to living in the natural world. A storm-tossed ship, seen in the opening just before the title page, and a packing crate are the only other human-made objects to appear in this close-up look at the robot and her new home. Roz emerges from the crate, and her first thought as she sets off up a grassy hill—”This must be where I belong”—is sweetly glorious, a note of recognition rather than conquest. Roz learns to move, hide, and communicate like the creatures she meets. When she discovers an orphaned egg—and the gosling Brightbill, who eventually hatches—her decision to be his mother seems a natural extension of her adaptation. Once he flies south for the winter, her quiet wait across seasons for his return is a poignant portrayal of separation and change. Brown’s clean, precise lines and deep, light-filled colors offer a sense of what Roz might be seeing, suggesting a place that is alive yet deeply serene and radiant. Though the book stands alone, it adds an immensely appealing dimension to Roz’s world. Round thumbnails offer charming peeks into the island world, depicting Roz’s animal neighbors and Brightbill’s maturation.

A hymn to the intrinsic loveliness of the wild and the possibility of sharing it. (author’s note) (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: June 24, 2025

ISBN: 9780316669467

Page Count: 48

Publisher: Little, Brown

Review Posted Online: March 22, 2025

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2025

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DRAGONS LOVE TACOS

From the Dragons Love Tacos series

A wandering effort, happy but pointless.

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The perfect book for kids who love dragons and mild tacos.

Rubin’s story starts with an incantatory edge: “Hey, kid! Did you know that dragons love tacos? They love beef tacos and chicken tacos. They love really big gigantic tacos and tiny little baby tacos as well.” The playing field is set: dragons, tacos. As a pairing, they are fairly silly, and when the kicker comes in—that dragons hate spicy salsa, which ignites their inner fireworks—the silliness is sillier still. Second nature, after all, is for dragons to blow flames out their noses. So when the kid throws a taco party for the dragons, it seems a weak device that the clearly labeled “totally mild” salsa comes with spicy jalapenos in the fine print, prompting the dragons to burn down the house, resulting in a barn-raising at which more tacos are served. Harmless, but if there is a parable hidden in the dragon-taco tale, it is hidden in the unlit deep, and as a measure of lunacy, bridled or unbridled, it doesn’t make the leap into the outer reaches of imagination. Salmieri’s artwork is fitting, with a crabbed, ethereal line work reminiscent of Peter Sís, but the story does not offer it enough range.

A wandering effort, happy but pointless. (Picture book. 3-5)

Pub Date: June 14, 2012

ISBN: 978-0-8037-3680-1

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Dial Books

Review Posted Online: March 27, 2012

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2012

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