by Curatoria Draconis ; illustrated by Tomislav Tomic ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 20, 2020
A stimulating voyage for hatchling dragonologists.
A purpose-built ship—“the mightiest vessel most people will never see”—sets out to study the world’s dragons…and track down the rarest of all.
Led by putative author Curatoria Draconis, depicted with brown skin and locs, the multiracial crew of the Dragon Ark sails to locales both remote and surprisingly otherwise on each continent. As they go, they pause to fill in fellow dracophiles on basic facts about a dizzying variety of dragons, from the wurm and the deep-sea taniwha of Oceania to amphipteres perching in a presidential eye on Mount Rushmore and drakes lurking in an unused New York subway tunnel. Dense notes accompanying Tomic’s elaborately detailed illustrations not only record observations about each intelligent, reclusive creature’s preferred habitat, diet, size, and suchlike, but sound warnings about worrisome environmental threats ranging from floating plastic waste to the effects of global warming on Antarctica’s meltable ice dragons. A series of obscure clues gathered along the way leads at last to an encounter with a pair of long-sought tien loong, or celestial dragons of China. Stunningly intricate art features an opening portrait gallery of the crew, an immersive cutaway view of the ship, and album-style spreads that offer finely drawn images aplenty of scaled, toothy dragons large and small, some heavy of body, others elegantly sinuous, in natural (or at least characteristic) settings. (The copyright page credits Emma Roberts with the text.) (This book was reviewed digitally with 15-by-21.6-inch double-page spreads viewed at 75% of actual size.)
A stimulating voyage for hatchling dragonologists. (Informational fantasy picture book. 7-10)Pub Date: Oct. 20, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-4197-4837-0
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Magic Cat
Review Posted Online: Aug. 31, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2020
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by Tracey West ; illustrated by Graham Howells ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 24, 2014
With plenty left to be resolved, the next entry will be eagerly sought after.
Drake has been selected by the king to serve as a Dragon Master, quite a change for an 8-year-old farmer boy.
The dragons are a secret, and the reason King Roland has them is a mystery, but what is clear is that the Dragon Stone has identified Drake as one of the rare few children who have a special connection with dragons and the ability to serve as a trainer. Drake’s dragon is a long brown creature with, at first, no particular talents that Drake can identify. He calls the dragon Worm. It isn’t long before Drake begins to realize he has a very strong connection with Worm and can share what seem to be his dragon’s thoughts. After one of the other Dragon Masters decides to illicitly take the dragons outside, disaster strikes. The cave they are passing through collapses, blocking the passageway, and then Worm’s special talent becomes evident. The first of a new series of early chapter books, this entry is sure to attract fans. Brief chapters, large print, lots of action, attractive illustrations in every spread, including a maplike panorama, an enviable protagonist—who wouldn’t want to be a Dragon Master?—all combine to make an entertaining read.
With plenty left to be resolved, the next entry will be eagerly sought after. (Fantasy. 7-10)Pub Date: Aug. 24, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-545-64624-6
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Branches/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 3, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2014
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by Tracey West ; illustrated by Matt Loveridge
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by Zetta Elliott ; illustrated by Geneva B ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 22, 2019
Despite missteps, this satisfying follow-up will leave readers hoping for more magical adventures with lovable Jax and...
Jaxon and his friends deal with the fallout from the theft of one of the baby dragons in his charge.
As this sequel to Dragons in a Bag (2018) opens, Kavita, the titular dragon thief, introduces elderly Aunty to stolen baby dragon Mo. Thankfully, Aunty knows someone in Queens who can help return Mo to the realm of magic. Meanwhile, and in alternating first-person chapters, Jax is trying to find Kavi and Mo, as Mo’s siblings have grown ill as a result of the separation, as has Ma, Jax’s magical mentor and grandmother figure. Jax again teams up with his best friend and Kavi’s older brother, Vik. A third is added to their crew with “huge” Kenny, “the biggest kid in [their] class.” (Unfortunately, much is made of Kenny’s size, which feels gratuitous and unkind.) Eventually the trio finds Kavi, Aunty, and Mo, who’ve been abducted by a magical con artist. All’s well that ends well when Sis, the powerful guardian of the magic realm, shows up, but readers may wonder why the narrative decides to grapple with her choice not to intervene in injustice in our world. Her argument that human-caused problems are for humans to solve feels undeveloped, especially in the face of a massive injustice like the trans-Atlantic slave trade (mentioned during the climax and at no other point). Jax is black; Vik, Kavi, and Aunty are Indian American (though Aunty has African ancestry as well); and Kenny is white. The rest of the cast is diverse as well.
Despite missteps, this satisfying follow-up will leave readers hoping for more magical adventures with lovable Jax and company. (Urban fantasy. 7-10)Pub Date: Oct. 22, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5247-7049-5
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2019
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by Zetta Elliott ; illustrated by Cherise Harris
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