Demi’s original story line, which is driven more by an air of ritual than by character or incident, features a young painter named Ping who gathers Pearls of Heavenly Wisdom (depicted as physical pearls sporting such pithy sayings as “Seek Your Truth” and “Dare To Be True”) in order to transform his stubbornly denied terror of dragons into love. Though the language (particularly the author’s repeated comparison of dragon teeth to steak knives) doesn’t always soar, the illustrations more than compensate, filled with long, sinuous, Asian-style dragons—some tiny, others big enough to fill the two double foldouts, all rendered in elaborately marbled patterns and great swathes of solid gold. The powerful, magnificent creatures make a mesmerizing spectacle, and Ping’s joyful liberation from fear at the end closes the tale on a high note. (Picture book. 7-10)
