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THE DRAGON TAMERS by James Russell

THE DRAGON TAMERS

From the Dragon Brothers series, volume 2

by James Russell ; illustrated by Link Choi

Pub Date: June 6th, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4926-4864-2
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

Two brothers find themselves an unlikely pet.

In rhyming ballad stanzas, two orange-haired white brothers, Flynn and Paddy, live “away across the oceans…upon a wondrous island.” Their remote home, with such extraordinarily titled locales as the Swamp of Children’s Wishes and Mother’s Knee Hill, also is home to other denizens: dragons. Continuing from their last adventure when a dragon absconded with their dog (The Dragon Hunters, 2017), the boys learn that a brief rest on a rock and a bit of flatulence unwittingly hatches a dragon. Predictably, the baby dragon believes the boys to be its mother, and the children must sneak their new pet into the house without their mother’s knowledge. Russell’s gentle and lyrical offering combines with Choi’s large, softly focused, and dreamlike illustrations to make for a soothing, dulcet read-aloud for young dragon aficionados, although expect a lukewarm reception from those yearning for thrilling tales of fiery-breathed beasts. This series boasts an augmented-reality component in which an app will bring an included map to life—complete with tiny flying dragons, a diaphanous cloud, and minuscule animations of Paddy and Flynn—and while it certainly adds to the narrative, it is identical to the AR of its predecessor.

A whimsical and melodious tale for those seeking adventure fare that’s on the quiet side.

(Picture book. 4-9)