It’s the queen’s birthday and Alexander must deliver a dragon before the party starts! What does the queen need with a baby dragon? Come with Alexander as he travels across the kingdom to deliver this special gift…and discover what good a dragon is!
As a child of the 70s, I grew up with saturday morning cartoons and the Sunday comics page in the newspaper. From an early age, I wanted to have the next great newspaper comic strip. I would spend hours drawing classic characters like Garfield, Snoopy, and Bugs Bunny and creating my own comic strips after school. Through high school and college I created several strips that failed to gain the attention of syndicates. (I still have the stack of rejection letters!) Then, the unexpected happened...the internet! In the early 90s, the rise of the internet slowly killed the comics page and my dream of becoming the next great cartoonist faded. For several years I worked with children and teens in the church setting, then moved into public school, teaching middle school social studies for several years. However, my desire for drawing cartoons never went away. I created cartoons in the evenings slowly building a client base that I was able to put to use in 2004. I quit teaching and started a freelancing career. Cartoons, illustrations, logos, mascots were among the jobs I would contract.
Evenutally, I moved into children's book illustrations. One by one, the projects would come in requiring illustrations for self-published authors. Now, I've written several children's books of my own and continue to illustrate for authors all over the world.
It’s the Queen’s birthday in “What Good is a Dragon?” by author Patrick Carlson. The King needs help getting his birthday gift to her and enlists a boy named Alexander to get the gift to the Queen before her birthday party. Alexander puts the gift, an adorable green baby dragon, in his backpack and sets out on a grand adventure to the Queen’s castle. Along his travels, he meets different people such as an ogre, a knight, and even a mermaid – each offering gifts of their own to give to the Queen. When Alexander arrives at the Queen’s castle, he’s confronted by an enormous, dangerous-looking kraken. Will the Kraken allow Alexander to enter the Queen’s castle?
I have to say this was one of the cutest dragon stories I have read in a long time. I loved the idea that a King gave the thoughtful gift of a baby dragon. I must admit, I found myself very curious as to why the Queen would even have any use for a baby dragon. But the author came up with such a clever storyline that children and adults alike will find it to be a perfectly reasonable gift to give the Queen. When the reason for the gift was revealed, I literally laughed out loud at the perfect ending to a fun and entertaining story.
As Alexander traveled, he encountered a few people he never thought he’d meet on his journey. Each character played an integral part in this charming tale, and I found it fascinating that each one decided to offer something of their own as a gift for the Queen. A story like this one is the perfect way to teach a child about the gift of kindness in a unique way.
It is also noteworthy that the author of this charming story illustrated it as well. The illustrations perfectly fit the storyline and I fell in love with the baby dragon myself. Mr. Carlson is a very talented author and illustrator.
This story was written for Age Level 4-8, Grade Level Preschool-3. I highly recommend this book not only for young children but also as a way for parents to share quality time with their young children either by reading or listening as their children read. Well done, Mr. Carlson!
The question surrounding a baby dragon's value is only the beginning of a fun journey, which brings giggles and smiles.
It's the Queen's birthday, and the King knows exactly what she needs: a baby dragon. Alexander volunteers to deliver the present in time for the party, but he meets more than a few characters along the way. Each one not only questions the dragon's purpose but offers their own surprises to make the Queen's birthday that much more special.
The title already caught my attention and raised tons of questions because...what good is a dragon? Now, I'm a dragon fan, but this is a question I've never considered, and I have no doubt that young readers will wonder what the answer could be, too. The author hooks this to the main character's journey across the kingdom, where he meets various fantasy creatures. Young readers won't have any trouble recognizing most, if not all, of these, and each one is portrayed with tons of personality. The situations are slightly humorous, and do make the reader wonder whether poor Alexander will make it to the party in time or not. Because each creature he meets makes his mission that much more difficult. It's just tons of fun.
The illustrations are colorful, cartoonish, and make the main themes of each scene sit just right. The characters' emotions come across nicely, and it's no problem to understand what is going on. Plus, there's a hint of humor in each one, which follows along well with the written tale.
The ending holds a big surprise and is so simple that it's cute and giggle worthy. Plus, there's a tiny message snuck in along with the fun. It's a fun, easy read and will get the word 'again' after it's done.
A king wanted to send a baby dragon as a gift to the queen on her birthday. And wanted someone to deliver it to her across the forest. A young man, Alexander, volunteered for the job. He placed the dragon in his backpack and started his journey. He met several interesting folks on the way who offered more gifts for the queen. Each gift offered the queen something precious. Alexander carried all of them and finally reached the queen's palace. So what gift did the queen like the most and why? We picked this book for its cute cover. The book narrates the story of how perception of things varies from one person to another. Little children may need an adult's help to understand the conclusion. The illustrations are beautiful and will surely impress little kids. What Good is a Dragon? by Patrick Carlson is a story with beautiful illustrations that encourages young kids to better appreciate an intent. Read the full review at Nothing But Picture Books
My son and I loved this book. It felt like an instant classic. Alexander accepts the task to deliver the dragon to the queen for her birthday. Along the way, we get to meet a few characters that are sure to engage your children in the story. They get to meet an ogre, a knight, a mermaid, and a kraken. They each want to give their own gift to the queen. So Alexander is left carrying all these things to the queen. When Alexander arrives with the gifts, the queen picks up the dragon and says, “this is just what I needed!” Read the book to discover what a dragon is good for. The illustrations of the people in court and the castle were colorful and fun to look at. All the characters are unique and entertaining. A short fun book that is great for bedtime.