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One Dragon's Dream
Elaborate, fanciful illustrations turn this counting book into a true adventure — and a delightful hunt for hidden clues.
One Dragon Had a Dream That Two Turkeys Teased Him . . .
Enter the strange and surreal dream world of a dragon — and pore over intricately detailed illustrations to discover a wealth of visual surprises. Each spread features a number from one to ten, and each illustration embodies bountiful examples of that number, if only you can spot them all! An instant classic in Australia when it was first published in 1978, this one-of-a-kind counting book continues to enchant.
One Dragon Had a Dream That Two Turkeys Teased Him . . .
Enter the strange and surreal dream world of a dragon — and pore over intricately detailed illustrations to discover a wealth of visual surprises. Each spread features a number from one to ten, and each illustration embodies bountiful examples of that number, if only you can spot them all! An instant classic in Australia when it was first published in 1978, this one-of-a-kind counting book continues to enchant.
40 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1979
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
September 30, 2015
Marvelous! Even if you're not a children, this is sure to delight. If you do have a child, introduce them to the lure of books (and slyly to number systems and counting) with this cleverly, intricately illustrated book with which you and the child can spend time together spotting and counting.
May 21, 2023
I remember this book vividly from my own childhood. When my parents asked me to choose a book to gift to their grandson, I had no trouble choosing this one. It does not surprise me to learn that the author spent three years on this book, even though there are fewer than 30 pages. His passion and dedication to detail show through on every page.
"One dragon had a dream," the opening tells us, and each succeeding two-page spread has a single sentence with increasing numbers: "Two turkeys teased him", "Three tigers told him off", etc... Each picture has a wealth of objects always matching the number. Along with the three tigers, for instance, there are three snakes, three fences, three trees, three gates, three birds, three nests, and so forth. Children will love counting up the objects, which are often hidden in clever and thought-provoking ways. If there are six dogs on the '6' page, for instance, five may be group on one side of the page and a solitary lab will appear on the far side. If searching for 9 paintbrushes, there may be a couple of huge ones towering in the center while other small ones are hidden in corners.
Pavey took time to get the details right, painting countless blades of grass, leaves on trees, tiles on roofs, ripples in lakes and rivers, and so forth. Better yet is the pure surrealism of the scene. Frogs wear suits of armor, chimpanzees ride scooters, elephants pilot hot air balloons. Get a copy of this book for any child in your life. I have yet to meet anybody who doesn't like it.
"One dragon had a dream," the opening tells us, and each succeeding two-page spread has a single sentence with increasing numbers: "Two turkeys teased him", "Three tigers told him off", etc... Each picture has a wealth of objects always matching the number. Along with the three tigers, for instance, there are three snakes, three fences, three trees, three gates, three birds, three nests, and so forth. Children will love counting up the objects, which are often hidden in clever and thought-provoking ways. If there are six dogs on the '6' page, for instance, five may be group on one side of the page and a solitary lab will appear on the far side. If searching for 9 paintbrushes, there may be a couple of huge ones towering in the center while other small ones are hidden in corners.
Pavey took time to get the details right, painting countless blades of grass, leaves on trees, tiles on roofs, ripples in lakes and rivers, and so forth. Better yet is the pure surrealism of the scene. Frogs wear suits of armor, chimpanzees ride scooters, elephants pilot hot air balloons. Get a copy of this book for any child in your life. I have yet to meet anybody who doesn't like it.
September 13, 2020
Before Graeme Base came along and blew the idea of glorious illustrations to study and search and ponder, there was Peter Pavey with One Dragon's Dream. A counting story with little text but lots of search and find activity to share with the whole family.
July 6, 2023
I’m reading thru books that might have a writing pattern and read this. The illustrations are lush, creative thinking is there, and the ending is well-done, but, it lacks substance. I think I want more, but it is just meant to be a counting book.
September 6, 2020
Originally published in 1980, this book has held up reasonably well. The concept is a bit bizarre, but the pictures are lovely and there is a lot to explore on each page.
December 30, 2021
This is a fun counting book. I adore the illustrations and the unique vocabulary.
August 24, 2009
This book won the Children's Book Council of Australia Picture Book of the Year in 1980. Frankly that was before Graeme Base came along and blew out of the water this rather paltry effort at creating intricate illustrations to match an alphabet or counting book.
The book starts in "the real world" were a Dragon goes to bed with a cat and a rather large cutlass... then the "way-out-there" fantasy dream starts... So I dislike the premise and set-up of the book. The dream sequence was more an actual dream sequence than a dream in a story. Everything is disjointed, there doesn't seem to be any cause-and-affect and everything is bizarre - which doesn't make for a good narrative.
The novelty of this book was to make it a puzzle book (as perfected by Graeme Base). Within each counting page there are an matching number of a variety of different objects. Greame Base does this well because the objects pictured blend in the scene... Peter Pavey's method is to simply dump whatever happens to be in his head at the time - Why are there 10 lemons the size of garbage bins scattered around the street, 7 wells within 20 meters, 6 discarded seashells in a courtroom??? Noone knows... but remember it's just a dream sequence so we can do whatever we want...
The book starts in "the real world" were a Dragon goes to bed with a cat and a rather large cutlass... then the "way-out-there" fantasy dream starts... So I dislike the premise and set-up of the book. The dream sequence was more an actual dream sequence than a dream in a story. Everything is disjointed, there doesn't seem to be any cause-and-affect and everything is bizarre - which doesn't make for a good narrative.
The novelty of this book was to make it a puzzle book (as perfected by Graeme Base). Within each counting page there are an matching number of a variety of different objects. Greame Base does this well because the objects pictured blend in the scene... Peter Pavey's method is to simply dump whatever happens to be in his head at the time - Why are there 10 lemons the size of garbage bins scattered around the street, 7 wells within 20 meters, 6 discarded seashells in a courtroom??? Noone knows... but remember it's just a dream sequence so we can do whatever we want...
October 29, 2009
Spare prose contrasts with intricate, detailed, 2-page spreads of pen and watercolor illustrations. One gargoyle-ish dragon falls asleep, and dreams of 2 turkeys, 3 tigers, 4 frogs, 5 kangaroos, and so forth. But the pictures do not just show those particular animals; they include dozens of other things with the same count. Besides the three tigers, there are three trees, padlocks, snakes, ladybugs, coins, outhouses, needles, matches, nests, pears, ants, keys, gravestones, and a dozen more triads, each scattered around the illustration.
The higher the number, the more crowded and intricate the drawings become. When I first read this, I found the drawings simply confusing. Items are larger and smaller than you would expect, with Alice in Wonderland-type proportions. Shapes of flowers and trees are distorted; stairs, ladders and buildings twist and overlap, giving an odd dream-like sensation.
Later, I read the book with a 9-year-old and a 6-year-old, both of whom have been able to count for many years. They both found great delight in searching the pages to find 8 buttons or 9 nails. If you are reading this to a toddler, the illustrations may be too complex for counting purposes. But an older child will enjoy it as much as an I Spy or Where's Waldo? book.
The higher the number, the more crowded and intricate the drawings become. When I first read this, I found the drawings simply confusing. Items are larger and smaller than you would expect, with Alice in Wonderland-type proportions. Shapes of flowers and trees are distorted; stairs, ladders and buildings twist and overlap, giving an odd dream-like sensation.
Later, I read the book with a 9-year-old and a 6-year-old, both of whom have been able to count for many years. They both found great delight in searching the pages to find 8 buttons or 9 nails. If you are reading this to a toddler, the illustrations may be too complex for counting purposes. But an older child will enjoy it as much as an I Spy or Where's Waldo? book.
January 31, 2014
Intricate, beautiful illustrations that are worth taking the time to explore. The Australian author/illustrator has included so many Australian animals and imagery that many international readers will wonder at the mysterious references. (although everyone should get to know the numbats - they are rather adorable!)
Recommend for a child who likes detail and discovery of something new every read.
Recommend for a child who likes detail and discovery of something new every read.
February 11, 2014
My five-year-old son picked this book out from the library today. He was on a counting book kick.
Meh. The artwork is interesting and the story is weird, and yet this book doesn't quite work. Maybe because so many other books have come along since 1980 that do this concept better. Or maybe because Australians have a strange sense of humor, like my sixth-grade teacher. Either way, not a book I need to buy. Or even check out again.
Actual rating: 2.5 stars, but I round up.
Meh. The artwork is interesting and the story is weird, and yet this book doesn't quite work. Maybe because so many other books have come along since 1980 that do this concept better. Or maybe because Australians have a strange sense of humor, like my sixth-grade teacher. Either way, not a book I need to buy. Or even check out again.
Actual rating: 2.5 stars, but I round up.
June 28, 2010
Ostensibly this is a book about counting 1-10. However, the wealth of detail in the illustrations and the unique word choices (seized, cranky, stern, smuggled, nimble, etc.) make it a great option for promoting the Early Lit skills of Vocabulary and Narrative skills.
January 20, 2010
This is a beautiful book, but it's best kept until kids can make sense of the pictures and really appreciate them.
June 14, 2013
Well, he's my uncle so I'm bias, but I grew up with this book and it still has a very special place in my heart.
October 25, 2014
Compelling drawings. Lacking verse. I think I need to pick this one up with our daughter at a later date.
February 5, 2015
Interesting art and lots of things to count.
April 26, 2017
Illustrations are incredible. The text was not as impressive.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews