Jodi Moore
illustrated by Howard McWilliam
Flashlight Press
May 1, 2011/ ISBN 0979974674
Children's literature Ages 4-8
Amazon
Reviewed
by Willie Elliott
With the story
of When a Dragon Moves In by Jodi Moore, illustrated by
Howard McWilliam, we have a story that reminds one of those instances
where children adopt make-believe friends as companions - except
in this case such a friend is a dragon.
There is very little
text on each page, but there is much in the large illustrations
for children to think and ask questions about. The story has another
twist—the characters do not have names other than mother,
father and sister. It doesn't even say boy, but the reader knows
the central character is a boy. In fact, the author suggests that
it is the reader who is the center of the story in the first line,
“If you build a sand castle, a dragon will move in.”
The author and illustrator
have captured the essence of a child dreaming up a make believe
friend. The story has the ring of a child telling the story even
though it was written by an adult who has not completely lost the
magic of imagining what it would be like to have a dragon for a
friend—even if for one day. This was a delightful read.
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