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The Dragon Machine
For a long time, dragons were ignored and overlooked . . . justlike George. But one rainy Thursday, lonely George sees his first dragon. From that moment on, George's new friends follow him everywhere. They get him into all sorts of trouble, too. The dragons need to find their way home before they're noticed by other people, and George is the only one who can get them ther...more
Paperback, 32 pages
Published
May 5th 2005
by Puffin
(first published May 26th 2003)
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Summary
George is a little boy who is lonely until he starts seeing dragons everywhere. When the dragons become a problem, he builds a machine to take them home to the wilderness.
The art is okay, but the story and characters make up for it only because they bring to mind a story. I want to tell you that story.
Once there was a little boy named Evan. Evan had a very active imagination. He made up little men, kinda the size of the Brownies (picture here played by Kevin Pollack and Rick Overton) from...more
George is a little boy who is lonely until he starts seeing dragons everywhere. When the dragons become a problem, he builds a machine to take them home to the wilderness.
The art is okay, but the story and characters make up for it only because they bring to mind a story. I want to tell you that story.
Once there was a little boy named Evan. Evan had a very active imagination. He made up little men, kinda the size of the Brownies (picture here played by Kevin Pollack and Rick Overton) from...more
It is a rainy Thursday when George notices a dragon. He soon encounters more and more. No one seems to notice the dragons, just as people don't seem to notice George either. The dragons are everywhere, "Dragons perched on telephone wires and lurked in the trash cans." The trouble really begins when George starts to feed them! The dragons become so troublesome that George has to start apologizing for the trouble they are causing. In search of a solution, George takes a trip to the library and gat...more
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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Published in 2005 by Puffin
Interest Level: 1st-3rd Grade
This book is about a boy that loves dragons and notices them everywhere. The dragons begin to follow th boy and he makes a machine to guide them; then one day the dragons leave him and he does not see them again but receives a dog that has something strange about him. This book is paced very quickly and there are few elements to distinguish it as an international book, but the illustrations and typeface seem to fit this book perfectly. The...more
Interest Level: 1st-3rd Grade
This book is about a boy that loves dragons and notices them everywhere. The dragons begin to follow th boy and he makes a machine to guide them; then one day the dragons leave him and he does not see them again but receives a dog that has something strange about him. This book is paced very quickly and there are few elements to distinguish it as an international book, but the illustrations and typeface seem to fit this book perfectly. The...more
This is a beautifully illustrated book about a boy named George who notices naughty dragons around him in his everyday life. The boy plans and constructs a flying machine that resembles a dragon in order to lead the dragons back to their own land. While the boy is off on this adventure, his formerly neglectful fellow humans decide they missed him and "he was no longer ignored or overlooked."
I think the tale was a bit too abstract and fanciful for my four year old boy. He was bothered by the unre...more
I think the tale was a bit too abstract and fanciful for my four year old boy. He was bothered by the unre...more
Jun 29, 2012
Phoebe Sloane
added it
This is a beautifully written and illustrated book. The calm green and blue hues used throughout lend a matter of fact, calming tone to this rather melancholy story of a lonely little boy named George who sees dragons everywhere he turns. No one else is aware of these dragons just as no one is aware of George. He, like the dragons, is overlooked and ignored. It is the simple, matter of fact manner in which the author describes George's observations of the dragons that is captivating, almost mes...more
George sees dragons everywhere he looks and thus begins to feed them stale cookies and smelly cheese. The dragons start to follow George around more and more, causing trouble for him. To help the dragons and restore peace to his life, George builds a dragon machine and leads the dragons to a new wilderness far away.
"Dragon Machine" is appropriate for ages 3+.
This book was very simple. I felt like there was not a lot of complexity to the story, but again, perhaps that is essential to appeal to...more
"Dragon Machine" is appropriate for ages 3+.
This book was very simple. I felt like there was not a lot of complexity to the story, but again, perhaps that is essential to appeal to...more
Dragons... dragons everywhere. George, the main character in this book, discovers there are dragons everywhere. They tease a cat, they sink the water lilies in the pond and eat stale cookies and smelly cheese. The follow George everywhere and cause some trouble. He goes to the library and finds a map of the place where dragons belong. He constructs a machine and takes them there. George's mom and dad look all over for him and finally find him and give him a dog as a present. The dog, of course,...more
Genre: Fantasy
Copyright: 2005
George feels alone and overlooked. One day he sees something in the rain. It is the first time he sees a dragon, and it certainly isn't the last. George befriends the dragons, but soon, they become more than he can handle, and George must handle it on his own.
"The Dragon Machine" is a cute story. The illustrations are funny, and the text even has a "medieval" feel to it. This book's conclusion is satisfying and tackles the issue of loneliness. I would recommend this...more
Copyright: 2005
George feels alone and overlooked. One day he sees something in the rain. It is the first time he sees a dragon, and it certainly isn't the last. George befriends the dragons, but soon, they become more than he can handle, and George must handle it on his own.
"The Dragon Machine" is a cute story. The illustrations are funny, and the text even has a "medieval" feel to it. This book's conclusion is satisfying and tackles the issue of loneliness. I would recommend this...more
This book has the most magical illustrations (and a pretty font, too). The story is very simple, told in simple language, about a lonely boy who makes his own friends with the ignored (imaginary?) dragons around him. Of course, he has to give them up, and save them, but that leads to him being more noticed - either because his absence causes his parents to realize what they're missing (the literal reading), or because he simply grows up (a more metaphorical one).
Seriously, check this book out fr...more
Seriously, check this book out fr...more
I chose this for a first week of school read-aloud for 3rd grade because it has very beautiful illustrations, also because the other book we read was The Library Dragon and this library seems to have a thing for dragons. We have two stuffed dragons at the circ desk.
One class used this book to compare and contrast illustrations that make a book seem serious (this book) with illustrations that make a book seem funny (The Library Dragon).
One class used this book to compare and contrast illustrations that make a book seem serious (this book) with illustrations that make a book seem funny (The Library Dragon).
This magical book introduced me to the work of Helen Ward and Wayne Anderson. We got it originally from the library a number of times before we decided to look for a secondhand copy online. South Africa is not an easy place to find books.
The illustrations capture the solitude of George's world, glimmers of colour among the mostly gray background. The burning curiosity of a child is the key to this beautiful tale worth reading over and over again.
The illustrations capture the solitude of George's world, glimmers of colour among the mostly gray background. The burning curiosity of a child is the key to this beautiful tale worth reading over and over again.
There are dragons everywhere but no one notices them. George also feels unnoticed, and begins to care for his fellow outsiders. He researches (!!) dragons at the library to learn how to properly care for them. He eventually decides that they need to go to a safe place, so he builds a machine to help make that happen. Great illustrations, a hint of steampunk.
George is many times overlooked because he is so small, just like many of the dragons that he notices. They soon start causing problems for George, so he decides to build a machine to take them back to their land. My elementary students LOVED this book!
This is a lovely story - sparse but moving prose and dreamy illustrations. Amelia wanted to read it everyday that we had it checked out from the library. Pretty soon she was asking if we could build a dragon machine together.
Another story from the same author/illustrator team as The Tin Forest, and every bit as beautiful. I liked The Tin Forest slightly more thanks to its plot, but otherwise this is as good as the last one.
The illustrations are amazing. I didn't care for the story - a little boy who feels unloved runs away and then everyone loves him. If the story had matched the book, I would have given this book more stars.
In the end you're left questioning about the whole story. Are those dragons really exist? Or are they just George's imagination? It's like watching Pan's Labyrinth O_o well at least to me.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Fun. Lovely art. Kind of a soft, nice story. And C now occasionally "builds" a dragon machine for fun.
Gorgeous illustrations and interesting adventure
May 03, 2013
Hirotaka Kuwata
marked it as to-read
Mar 06, 2013
Hayley Gibin
added it
Mar 03, 2013
Macie Modlinsky
added it
Mar 02, 2013
Lalitha
marked it as to-read
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Helen Ward won the first Walker Prize for Children’s Illustration and twice won the British National Art Library Award. She has also been short-listed for the 2003 Kate Greenaway Medal. She lives in Gloucestershire, England.
More about Helen Ward...
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