Dragon Night

October 29, 2018
Animator Krause creates a vintage look through dramatic, woodcutlike spreads tinted with fiery orange and midnight blue. “Georgie is afraid of the night,” the book begins, showing the boy in bed; “It’s too dark with the lights off.” As Georgie’s room decor reveals, he’s way into dragons, and in a burst of glowing light, one leaps forth from the child’s copy of St. George and the Dragon. The dragon is afraid, too—not of the night, but of the knight. “He always wants to fight,” it tells Georgie. So the two run away and share a glorious nighttime flight. Georgie’s a fan of the Knights, a baseball team, and when the two spot its mascot at a nighttime game that’s underway, the dragon realizes that their homophonic fears differ. Despite its greater size and strength, the dragon needs just as much comforting as the boy does, and they support one another as equals. The knight/night pun clanks a bit, depending for its effect on a sports mascot and a factory logo, but flying journeys and creatures in need of solace offer a promising strategy for bedtime reluctance of all sorts. Ages 3–7.

November 15, 2018
A boy and a dragon bond over a shared fear--sort of.Actually, "Georgie is afraid of the night," and the dragon that crawls out of his copy of St. George and the Dragon is (with some justice!) "afraid of the knight." The mutual anxiety is close enough, though, to send both winging out through Georgie's bedroom window in search of safety. The two come at last to rest on a dark hillside, where the dragon points out stars, shooting stars, and the soothing sounds of crickets to the boy in its lap--and next day, back in the bedroom, Georgie returns the favor, concocting a safe haven for the dragon by creating a new story book with a friendlier knight. Cozy interchanges between the two (" 'Will the knight want to fight?' asks the dragon. 'Instead of fighting, the knight loves to play catch,' replies Georgie. 'What if the knight doesn't like me?' asks the dragon. 'Don't worry,' says Georgie. 'I'll help you' ") give the narrative an intimate tone that Krause reinforces with shadowy pictures, done in thick lines and dark hues, pairing a tiny boy who presents Asian and an improbably huge but vulnerable-looking, even at times tearful, dragon. Well-crafted bedtime reading featuring an unusually captivating monster. (Picture book. 5-7)

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February 1, 2019

PreS-Gr 1-Fear can seem insurmountable without the help of a friend. In this charming story about conquering one's fears, Krause employs clever wordplay and imagination as his young protagonist, Georgie, is afraid of the night until a dragon comes to life from one of his favorite books, St. George and the Dragon. The dragon is afraid of the knight in his story, and the confusing homonym takes both characters some time to puzzle out. It is enough, though, to have them both fly through the sky together to escape the night and knight. Children will delight in pointing out what it is the dragon sees from above, such as the castle at a carnival and a king in the city, which makes this an engaging read-aloud. As they fly together, Georgie discovers that the night can be beautiful as the dragon shows him how it reveals shooting stars and they listen to the "crickets play a soothing song." Krause's use of brush, pen, ink and digital rendering creates this wondrous woodcut mixed-media style in illustration that is vibrant in both color and expression. An excellent selection for young readers who are afraid of the dark, this tale also offers creativity and hope as Georgie devises a plan to save his dragon friend from his own fears. VERDICT An engaging and beautifully illustrated book about conquering one's fears and friendship, this is highly recommended as a first purchase for all libraries.-Rachel Zuffa, Case High School, Racine, WI

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