Max’s Dragon
Illustrated by Boris Kulikov Published March 2008
Max is looking for words that rhyme. His dragon is in his wagon – or was, for now its tail has left a trail, which Max follows. He finds an umbrella on the ground— “Found, ground,” he says, while his older brothers mock him for believing in dragons and sitting under an umbrella when it isn’t even raining. But Max believes in possibilities—and when he can show his brothers not only a dragon in the stormy clouds but also a dinosaur, they begin to come round. When Max demonstrates the power of his rhyming words to tame the dinosaur and the dragon and make the rain come, he wins them over completely.
Reviews
The New York Times
Max’s Dragon may well intrigue a child just beginning to glimpse the possibility that words, like toys, if put together just so, can ignite a thrilling magic of their own.
Kirkus
Another winner from the pair that introduced Max in Max’s Words. Amusing wordplay and impish illustrations play off each other in perfect syncopation. –Starred
School Library Journal
Suffused with a golden light…a celebration of child imagination wherein words do indeed have power.
Booklist
The unusual perspectives in the bright, textured artwork greatly enhance the story’s drama and, in the active spreads of endearing dragons and goofy dinosaurs, the blurring of the real and imagined worlds.
Horn Book
The playful couplets will keep early readers and listeners engaged and anticipating each new pair.
Times Record News
This is a great book, combining two things children will love to do, rhyme and imagine.
Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
A wonderful introduction to poetry for young children.