From Australia, a celebration of imaginative play. In an idyllic suburban yard with ferns and eucalyptus trees, a...

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DRAC AND THE GREMLIN

From Australia, a celebration of imaginative play. In an idyllic suburban yard with ferns and eucalyptus trees, a long-haired girl and a smaller boy are shown wielding garbage-can lids and swinging from a rope-hung tire, stalking the family cat, and wrestling with their large, benign dog. Meanwhile, the text describes their activities in Dungeons and Dragons terms: Drac, the Warrior Queen of Tirnol Two, and her erstwhile enemy Gremlin are saving the White Wizard's planet from the Terrible Tongued Dragon. Taken by itself, the adventure is not particularly interesting, though it might spark similar imaginative activity. There is more urgency in the action seen in the colorful, detailed illustrations (apparently executed in pastels) than in the text, abetted by the use of light and the girl's lovely, swinging, multi-hued hair. The lush flora and fauna are rendered in loving detail, and in their rare moments of repose the children have a beguiling innocence that will appeal especially to adults. Not essential, but an illustrator worth watching.

Pub Date: March 1, 1989

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Dial

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 1989

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