THAT PESKY DRAGON

Little Izzy saves the farm from a medieval threat. A distant roar tells everyone that a dangerous dragon is near. Dad tells daughter Izzy that the dragon will surely fly away in a day or so. If only. The dragon stays. Scared chickens lay hard-boiled eggs, the cow gives yogurt and the wheat field burns, giving off the smell of toast. While dad calls REMOVE-A-DRAGON, Izzy decides to face the problem head-on. Instead of a huge fire-breather, she finds a tiny orange dragon trapped in the well and crying for help. Izzy enlists the whole family in helping to pull the dragon free. He becomes part of the farm family who gets hot milk, toast and hard-boiled eggs every morning. Williamson’s unique and stylish illustrations experiment with shapes, building unusual figures by combining them on pages full of color and pattern. Appealing and quirky, if slight. (Picture book. 3-6)