Dragon Was Terrible

May 23, 2016
There’s a dragon in the kingdom, and he’s a downright brat, pantsing palace guards, spitting on cupcakes, and even scribbling in books. As Dragon’s behavior becomes increasing egregious—he burps in church and chases after fuzzy yellow ducklings—nobody can stop him until a clever boy comes along with a powerful tool: a gripping storybook (featuring a brave dragon and a “terrible knight,” naturally). In naive, flattened cartons, Pizzoli (Templeton Gets His Wish) mixes modern and medieval with aplomb as Dragon TP’s a castle and spray paints “Dragon was here” on a wall underneath a posted notice from the king promising a reward to whomever stops Dragon (“It shall be a nice gift. Ye shall like it”). These pictures, combined with DiPucchio’s (Everyone Loves Bacon) clearly disapproving narrator (“Honestly, that’s terrible and rude,” she sniffs during the church burp scene) make Dragon’s transgressions all the funnier. The only downside may be the ending, which—though happy in a fairy tale sense—makes the taming of the wonderfully incorrigible antagonist feel a little, well, tame. Ages 4–7. Agent: Steven Malk, Writers House.

Starred review from June 15, 2016
In this comical tale, one kingdom is fed up with its disobedient dragon.This book may seem like your classic "bad dragon gone terrible" tale, complete with a king, a castle, and knights, but the text and illustrations work together to offer readers a different story--one that is modern and timeless. Dragon isn't terrible in the way readers might suspect. Dragon is actually "super terrible" and spends his days spitting on cupcakes ("Who does that?!") and stealing candy from baby unicorns ("Honestly, that's terrible"). The illustrations add depth to each character and successfully integrate one contemporary character (a bespectacled, light-skinned child wearing sneakers and carrying a banjo) into the historical setting, which, in conjunction with the minimalist backdrop and modern narrative voice, creates relevancy and fosters a connection with readers. A valiant effort is made to include diverse characters, with a brown child, a brown wizard, and knights of varying skin tones. Perhaps the book's most remarkable feat is its ability to gently and humorously suggest alternative, peaceable methods for dealing with negative emotions and destructive behavior while also reminding readers of the cathartic power of a good story. Astute readers will be able to pinpoint the moment when Dragon's heart becomes open to change. This is one terribly good dragon tale that will leave readers laughing and with an appreciation for the healing power of a good book. (Picture book. 3-8)

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July 1, 2016

PreS-Gr 2-An unruly dragon with a bad attitude stomps on flowers, scribbles in books, and snatches candy away from baby unicorns. The king recruits knights to deal with the problem, but they all fail miserably. In response, the dragon ramps up his nastiness and toilet papers the castle and pops birthday balloons. A clever boy, with superb fairy tale-writing skills, saves the day by luring the dragon with a trail of marshmallows and then captivating him with a story he can't resist. Funny details abound in Pizzoli's cartoon illustrations, from royal posters tagged with "Dragon Was Here" graffiti to the not so scary dragon trying to feign readerly disinterest by shuffling a deck of cards and surreptitiously peeking around a tree. The witty, conversational-style narration interjects timely comments ("HEY, WAIT...What about the reward?"). VERDICT In this laugh-out-loud picture book, the powers of storytelling triumphantly tame the beast.-Linda Ludke, London Public Library, Ontario, Canada

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2016
Preschool-G Dragons are expected to be terrible (they are dragons, after all), but this particular dragon is horribly, unbelievably terrible. Among his many transgressions: stealing candy from baby unicorns, TP-ing the castle, and burping in church. The exasperated king offers an award (TBD, probably something nice), but all of his fiercest knights are humiliated in their efforts to rid the kingdom of the beast. The villagers take it upon themselves to open up the dragon-eliminating opportunity to everybody, but, again, no luck. Finally one young boy gathers together all of his determination . . . and sits down to read, nice and loud. At first the dragon feigns indifference, but inevitably is drawn into the story, and soon becomes a model member of the audience. This is a delightful selection for story hour. The witty, cartoonlike illustrations bring additional humor, and the outlined drawings are easily visible. The message that reading conquers all comes through loud and clear, and the engaging presentation will tame all listeners, not just dragons.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)