Dav Pilkey is not only the author of the somewhat controversial “Captain Underpants” books; he is the author of a charming series of books for smaller readers about an adorable dragon, named, appropriately, Dragon. Each book, while it shares the same theme throughout, is broken up into smaller chapters so that if your reader gets tired easily, they can make it “all the way through” a chapter and feel the sense of accomplishment without wearing themselves out.
The first book I’m reviewing is called “A Friend for Dragon.” In the first chapter, Dragon is looking for a friend, but all the other animals are too busy. Then an apple falls on his head, and after a mischievous snake pretends the apple can talk, Dragon decides that the apple will be his friend. We then see Dragon take the apple home and share a bedtime snack with it, which Dragon was more than happy to help the apple eat. The next day, Apple didn’t wake up. He called the doctor and told him that the apple wouldn’t talk. “Maybe it’s a crab apple,” the doctor replied. Dragon decided he’d better make an appointment and takes the apple in. But a walrus in the waiting room eats the apple, and Dragon rushes home with the core, worried. Finally he decides that Apple must be dead, and he buries it, feeling very sad and lonely. But in the spring he went out and sat under the tree again, and another apple fell on his head. He looked up, and saw a whole tree full of apples, just waiting to make friends.
“Dragon’s Fat Cat” tells us of Dragon’s first pet, a cat he found outside. He doesn’t know how to take care of a cat, but he goes to the pet store and learns everything he can. Unfortunately, he gets so loaded up with cat supplies that he leaves the most important thing, the cat, at the store. They are reunited and Dragon discovers why his cat was so fat – she was going to have kittens.
And finally a book that is very appropriate for the Christmas season – “Dragon’s Merry Christmas.” It’s that time of year again and Dragon is so excited. He’s going shopping for himself to buy some things he’s wanted all year, namely a new coat, lots of food, and a birdhouse. He wraps himself up in a warm quilt and heads out to go shopping. After collecting his purchases, he heads home, only to pass a group of raccoons singing carols on the street. They look very hungry, so Dragon gives them his food. Then he walked by a rhino out shoveling snow with no coat on. Dragon felt sorry for her and gave her his coat. As he neared home, he saw two little birds shivering in the cold. He hung his new birdhouse on the branch close by them and continued on his way. He didn’t have any presents left, but he didn’t mind at all.
I find the Dragon books to be sweet and touching. Dragon doesn’t always know how to handle the situations he finds himself in, but his heart is in the right place and he ends up doing the right thing in the end.
Also, don’t miss the excitement and mayhem at Dav’s website.
(“A Friend for Dragon” and “Dragon’s Merry Christmas” were published in 1991 by Orchard Books. “Dragon’s Fat Cat” was published in 1992 by the same publisher, and they were all illustrated by the author.)
Related Blogs:
Junie B. Jones and Captain Underpants, Too!
The Captain Underpants Books — Dav Pilkey
The Good, the Bad, and the Inappropriate: Banning Books from Your Child’s School Library