The Dragon Machine

The illustrations in this book are gorgeous, and it's all about dragons, so how can my family fail to love it? In the story, George is a lonely boy who realizes that dragons are all around him. Somehow, they manage to pass unnoticed in the city, and since that is the way George feels - overlooked - he has an affinity for them. He feeds them cookies and stinky cheese, and they take to following him around like ducklings. Unfortunately, this brings George a lot of trouble, as he is constantly blamed for their accidents. He's afraid that others will discover them, and capture them, so he does a little research on a map that says Here be Dragons (how fun is that?) and learns that the dragons have a home far away from the city, in a great show more wilderness. He builds a flying dragon machine, and with all the dragons following, leads them to their true home.

The story evokes a child's imagination, and the pictures are wonderful. The way the dragons blend in to the background, the hide-and-seek nature of some pages, and the adorable scaly look of the dragons themselves are all appealing, and George looks like a shy and sweet boy who is lonely. He finds fulfillment in his dragon friends, and you can read this on two levels: first as a fantasy, where he really meets the dragons, and second as a representation of George's imagination, where the dragons are his own creations and we see them because we are seeing the world through George's eyes. In the end, he is able to set his dragons free because he is no longer overlooked and ignored; his parents find him in the wilderness, thereby proving their love for him, and even buy him a friend in the shape of a dog. George is happier, but he doesn't lose his sense of imagination, because the last pictures show him playing with his suspiciously dragon-like dog and holding a little dragon in one arm. I like the ideas presented about imagination and possibility, and the interplay between real and necessary relationships and the ability to create our own friendships that are just for us. If the story had incorporated George's parents earlier - for instance, explaining why they don't realize that their son is sad, or even giving any reason at all for George's isolation - the ending would have had a more powerful resonance when his parents do go to find him. Nonetheless, this is still a cute story, very fanciful, with great illustrations, and the prose is clean and evocative and great for reading out loud. show less

Jungian head-shrinkers would love this metaphoric fable. I didn't, and I don't imagine most small children, being the innocently literal-minded beasties that they are, would either.

There are dragons everywhere but no one notices them. George also feels unnoticed, and begins to care for his fellow outsiders. He researches (!!) dragons at the library to learn how to properly care for them. He eventually decides that they need to go to a safe place, so he builds a machine to help make that happen. Great illustrations, a hint of steampunk.

An interesting and creative book that had a mellow undertone. The book offered some insight into the life of a creative boy who feels as if he's being ignored by his parents.

This book has the most magical illustrations (and a pretty font, too). The story is very simple, told in simple language, about a lonely boy who makes his own friends with the ignored (imaginary?) dragons around him. Of course, he has to give them up, and save them, but that leads to him being more noticed - either because his absence causes his parents to realize what they're missing (the literal reading), or because he simply grows up (a more metaphorical one).

Seriously, check this book out from the library and then go buy it.

Age Appropriateness (Primary, Intermediate, Middle School):
Primary
Review/Critique:
This book is about a lonely boy who finds dragons all around the city and then starts to take care of them. Because he shows the dragons affection, more and more being to follow him. He then builds a machine dragon to encourage them to return home. This book is fantasy because it requires imagination, but also is a sweet story about finding your way home. This book is fantasy because dragons are not real.
Comments on Use:
I would use this book with little kids to describe how to take care of a class pet or just a pet in general. I would also use it as an avenue to talk about feeling lonely and wanting friends.

Another story from the same author/illustrator team as The Tin Forest, and every bit as beautiful. I liked The Tin Forest slightly more thanks to its plot, but otherwise this is as good as the last one.