ANGRY DRAGON

This Belgian import may help some children articulate their anger but isn’t likely to inspire requests for repeat readings. Robberecht keeps the story simple. The unnamed narrator resents his mother’s negative response to an unspecified request. He describes the way anger makes him feel: first hard like stone, then fiery and destructive like a dragon. Goossens’s oil paintings, somewhat reminiscent of Lane Smith’s work, show the narrator’s transition from frowning, flame-haired child to raging, fire-breathing dragon. After striking out at his parents, the dragon-child feels ashamed and begins to sob. His tears wash away his anger, allowing him to reconnect with his parents. While some of Robberecht’s characterizations ring true (what child hasn’t accused his parents of always saying no?), other statements seem overly adult in their phrasing. The inconsistent voice is mirrored by the use of three typefaces and varying font sizes in every sentence. Occasionally this works to convey the narrator’s volatile feelings, more often it distracts from the story. Evocative but uneven. (Picture book. 4-7)