Where the Dragons Live

May 15, 2020
The sequel to Rosie and Rasmus (2019) finds Rasmus, a small dragon with short wings, facing bullying and loneliness in his new home. When Rasmus reaches "the island where the dragons live," he receives a harsh welcome. In speech-balloon dialogue, much-bigger dragons mock his stature, small wings, and lack of horns, sneering, "Keep on walking, baby monster." His amusingly unsuccessful attempts to roar, kick rocks, and breathe fire (as a similarly small-winged dragon watches covertly) make him first sad, then angry. He fires off a note to Rosie, his human pal, denying their friendship because Rosie hasn't visited. As in the previous book, Rasmus is primarily an object of Rosie's help. Rosie sails to the island and delivers a pep talk, concluding that the only difference between Rasmus and the others is his kind heart. As the pair play and celebrate, the other small-winged dragon asks to join. After some kite flying, the new pals say goodbye to Rosie, "a treasured [friend]." Another dragon watches with interest, hinting at another friendship. With soft edges and close perspective, Geddes' pastel-hued illustrations sympathetically express Rasmus' anger, sadness, and joy. However, Rasmus' passivity offers little encouragement to similarly lonely readers. His friendship with Rosie remains uneven, and her pivotal ice-breaking risks implying that Rasmus wouldn't have made his new friends without her--good thing she knows how to sail! Rosie is white. Muddled messages overwhelm endearing illustrations in this friendship tale. (Picture book. 4-6)

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May 22, 2020

PreS-Gr 2-In the second Rosie and Rasmus story, Rasmus leaves Rosie and the tree to explore the island where other dragons live. Rasmus is enamored of the dragons and their abilities, but they are not as welcoming to him because of his differences: he is small, does not breathe fire, and his roar is not as strong. Rasmus begins to feel lonely and frustrated and writes to Rosie in anger. Ever a good friend, Rosie comes to his aid and reminds him to be confident in who he is. A story of friendship, self-confidence, and acceptance, this book shares a message of being happy with oneself and not changing to fit in with others. The cheerful watercolors help readers fall in love with the adorable Rasmus and empathize with him as he experiences the wide range of emotions highlighted in the story. Each spread is clean and inviting with the illustrations as the focus and text as enriching support. Speech bubbles are used to present the characters' dialog, making the story that much more engaging. VERDICT A beautiful story that encourages readers to be happy and confident with their authentic selves.-Amy Shepherd, St. Anne's Episcopal Sch., Middleton, DE

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