Tell Me a Dragon

"My dragon is made from the sun and stars," declares one girl in Jackie Morris' Tell Me a Dragon, while another proclaims, "My dragon is snaggle-toothed, fierce and brave." Fire dragons and ice dragons, big dragons and small dragons, each two-page spread features a different person - human and mermaid, girl and boy - and his or her dragon.

With such a simple, repetitive text, this beautiful picture-book is more of a vehicle for Morris' watercolor illustrations, which perfectly capture the magic of these mythical creatures. Her palette is deep, but also subtle, and her paintings abound with lovely little details, such as the floral patterns on so many of the textiles, or the dragon's tale that almost looks as if it were coiled around the show more moon. Although there isn't much of a story here, the artwork is more than enough to carry the book, which will appeal to imaginative young readers - particularly those with a fondness for dragons. show less

I wasn't sure the preschool kids would sit for this since there's no plot, but they seemed fascinated. Tell Me a Dragon is a supremely imaginative list of dragons that in some ways is simply an excuse for Morris' gorgeous art, but the art is worth it. Translucent watercolors fill the pages with dragons both oversized and tiny, both beautiful and fearful. The last page is what sold me on it for my storytime though as it ends with the phrase, "Tell me about your dragon." We went around the room and each kid said what kind of dragon they wanted, although as preschoolers they pretty much just selected a color. Where I could see this really shining is with grade school kids, particularly as a writing/art prompt, but also as a browsing treat show more for the fantasy obsessed kids.

Used for Delightful Dragons Storytime - Preschool 4/20/10. show less

Looking at the cover, I had to bring this home from the library. Containing marvelous illustrations, the storyteller imagines all her dragons and shares the descriptions. At the end of the book, she invites the reader to tell her about their dragons.

This is a beautiful book. The watercolor illustrations are dreamy but match each dragon perfectly. The book just has characters telling us about what types of dragons they have, much like a class of kids would tell someone about their dogs.