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Raggedy Ann and Andy
The Paper Dragon
When a little girl loses her daddy, Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy join in the search and get some added assistance from a friendly and playful paper dragon.
96 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 1985
About the author
Johnny Gruelle
329 books42 followersJohnny Gruelle was an American artist, political cartoonist, children's book author and illustrator (and even songwriter). He is known as the creator of Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy. He had such confidence in his design that often he would create the final ink work without first sketching in pencil.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_G...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_G...
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 11, 2019
Raggedy Ann and the Paper Dragon
Plot: Raggedy Anne and Andy sneak out of the nursery (as they do sometimes) and come across a little girl being dragged away by a mean man named Mr. Doodle. Mr. Doodle wants to take her home to chop his wood. The Raggedy’s rescue her by using a special wishing stick and pebble sewn into their bodies. The little girl and her mother tell them the father has been missing for a while and they set off into the woods to find him, aided by a magic red ball which guides them in the direction father went. But along the way, they’re stopped with many distractions. There’s a little old lady that’s obsessed with the red ball because she’s run out of knitting material. There’s a paper dragon (hence the title) who accidentally swallows anything that comes near him. Then there’s Mr. Doodle who loses interest in the girl and now wants the dragon to build a chicken coop. Once they get to the castle where the Father is being held they have more challenges. The castle’s steps slide you right out the door. There are guards standing in front of it and a knight. With all the challenges presented the Raggedy’s, the little girl, her mother, and Mr. Doodle (who by the end of the book has had a change of heart) rescue the Father whose been stuck in the castle all this time because it’s a magic castle and when he’s tried to leave has lost his memory. He tries to take home some of the magical items in the castle but finds that when he leaves they vanish. So, he decides to live there with his family. He invites Mr. and Mrs. Doodle to leave in the castle also.
My Thoughts: Because most of the Raggedy Anne and Andy stories I read have been light, I expected this one to be light. This one dragged because it repeated itself so much. Mr. Doodle was ANNOYING! He just kept popping up wanting to fight every other page. And I wondered why they didn’t just use the wishing stick on him to permanently keep him in his own house. It started off by mentioning the stick and the pebble then not shortly after they use it a few times the story seems to forget they have them. It repeated so many other things why stop there? I just shook my head because they KEPT feeding him. In the middle of the fights, they’d stop and give him food (for strength). Now I don’t know about yal but when have you ever seen a fight between two people and one of them pulls out a bag and says “You want a doughnut?” to the person who’s behind they’re supposed to be whopping. Which makes this ridiculous! Now I can see if the tactic was to make him feel sluggish and then leave him laying there. But Mr. Doodle was like one of those classic horror villains in movies that just REFUSE to die! It was also ridiculous to think that unless you had a magic sack (or purse like Hermoine) you could carry all those items (which included a SODA FOUNTAIN) out of the castle with NO CAR through the woods. But it wasn’t those things that I didn’t like about the book. I just found those amusing. It was that this book felt LONG! I couldn’t read it quickly and it was hard to kept my attention. The illustrations were cute tho.
Rating: 3
Plot: Raggedy Anne and Andy sneak out of the nursery (as they do sometimes) and come across a little girl being dragged away by a mean man named Mr. Doodle. Mr. Doodle wants to take her home to chop his wood. The Raggedy’s rescue her by using a special wishing stick and pebble sewn into their bodies. The little girl and her mother tell them the father has been missing for a while and they set off into the woods to find him, aided by a magic red ball which guides them in the direction father went. But along the way, they’re stopped with many distractions. There’s a little old lady that’s obsessed with the red ball because she’s run out of knitting material. There’s a paper dragon (hence the title) who accidentally swallows anything that comes near him. Then there’s Mr. Doodle who loses interest in the girl and now wants the dragon to build a chicken coop. Once they get to the castle where the Father is being held they have more challenges. The castle’s steps slide you right out the door. There are guards standing in front of it and a knight. With all the challenges presented the Raggedy’s, the little girl, her mother, and Mr. Doodle (who by the end of the book has had a change of heart) rescue the Father whose been stuck in the castle all this time because it’s a magic castle and when he’s tried to leave has lost his memory. He tries to take home some of the magical items in the castle but finds that when he leaves they vanish. So, he decides to live there with his family. He invites Mr. and Mrs. Doodle to leave in the castle also.
My Thoughts: Because most of the Raggedy Anne and Andy stories I read have been light, I expected this one to be light. This one dragged because it repeated itself so much. Mr. Doodle was ANNOYING! He just kept popping up wanting to fight every other page. And I wondered why they didn’t just use the wishing stick on him to permanently keep him in his own house. It started off by mentioning the stick and the pebble then not shortly after they use it a few times the story seems to forget they have them. It repeated so many other things why stop there? I just shook my head because they KEPT feeding him. In the middle of the fights, they’d stop and give him food (for strength). Now I don’t know about yal but when have you ever seen a fight between two people and one of them pulls out a bag and says “You want a doughnut?” to the person who’s behind they’re supposed to be whopping. Which makes this ridiculous! Now I can see if the tactic was to make him feel sluggish and then leave him laying there. But Mr. Doodle was like one of those classic horror villains in movies that just REFUSE to die! It was also ridiculous to think that unless you had a magic sack (or purse like Hermoine) you could carry all those items (which included a SODA FOUNTAIN) out of the castle with NO CAR through the woods. But it wasn’t those things that I didn’t like about the book. I just found those amusing. It was that this book felt LONG! I couldn’t read it quickly and it was hard to kept my attention. The illustrations were cute tho.
Rating: 3
December 23, 2018
Although it has some of the same endearing characters as the original Raggedy Ann and Andy adventures, this book is one longer story. The other books were much more fun to read as they were short and easy to finish. This one has taken me some time to get through. I have actually been reading it off and on for over a year. However, if you enjoyed the other Raggedy stories, you will like this one as well.
April 15, 2010
This book is a little disappointing. I remember loving the magical land that R. Ann and Andy used to visit, but this time around, it just seems absurd. It seems to go over well with my six year old, though, so I guess that's good.
August 8, 2023
“Why did you swallow them?" Raggedy Andy asked the
Dragon.
"I did not know what to do until you came," the Dragon re-plied. "So I just swallowed everybody and waited until you came.” - Best exchange in literature I’ve ever read, 10/10
Dragon.
"I did not know what to do until you came," the Dragon re-plied. "So I just swallowed everybody and waited until you came.” - Best exchange in literature I’ve ever read, 10/10
July 25, 2023
Yet another edition of Raggedy Ann adventure ... and I love them all, though must admit, they all begin to be the same. The Paper Dragon in this one gave it something completely different, and was a fun addition to the other "magical" items Raggedy Ann and friends find, as they romp through the woods, helping those less fortunate. All wonderful values, and delightful story-telling.
August 4, 2011
Nice illustrations
June 15, 2014
A rather delightful episode of the exploits of the Raggedys ... with a paper dragon that adds to the fun, and the wonderful life lessons taught through these stories.
April 6, 2017
I needed the change of pace.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews