A nifty variant on the theme of a bedtime adventure with a fabulous friend. The dragon comes out of Matthew's book as a miniature. First, Matthew also becomes tiny, and the two explore his own garden and have a terrifying encounter with a cat; then, suddenly growing enormous, the dragon effects a quick rescue and whirls Matthew off to meet a convocation of "every dragon ever imagined" before bringing him home to bed. Smith's paintings make it all seem real--the companionable feast on Dad's tomatoes, the voracious cat, and especially the endearing dragon. Thoroughly satisfying. (Picture book. 4-8)
