THE DRAGON TRIBE

Taking themes from traditional tales, this original story tells of an ancient group that evolves from being Dragon Slayers to the “Dragon Tribe” (a name that has sometimes been used for the Central Chinese people who lived near the Yellow River). The text is in unembellished and somewhat stiff English and tells of the time when dragons disappeared, making it impossible for the children of the Dragon Slayers to become proper adults with the killing of their first dragon. In order to pass on their cultural heritage, the adults create art and literature that contains beautiful imagery of the fantastic animals, and the children change from thinking of dragons as enemies, instead seeing them as benevolent creatures to revere. The illustrations accompanying this slight pourquoi tale are accomplished, blending European Renaissance–textured richness with some Asian details, but the colors are so somber—blacks, grays, brownish-red robes—that they may not appeal to very young readers. Although the pedigree of the artistic team brings authenticity, they may not yet have the knack of creating books for the U.S. picture-book market. (Picture book. 6-8)