Review: Kenny & the Dragon
This
is an imaginative retelling of Kenneth Grahame’s short story, The
Reluctant Dragon. Tony DiTerlizzi has greatly improved the story. This
adaptation has well-developed, realistic, positive relationships between the
characters. The people are small anthropomorphic woodland animals, which
DiTerlizzi has illustrated in charming sketches throughout the book. Kenny, the
main character of the story, is a smart, young, bookworm rabbit. His shepherd
parents clearly love him and are very supportive of his reading. (Yes, the
rabbits are tending a herd of sheep. There are pictures. It is adorable).
Kenny isn’t always understood by his classmates, but he
several close friends. There is an elder friend/mentor lending him books from
his bookstore, and now a dragon who loves to read. The new relationship between
Kenny and the dragon is very well developed, from initial fear and curiosity,
to trust and enjoyment of common interests.
What I like most about this book is how Kenny’s parents are
always doing things to stay involved in Kenny’s life and show they care about
him. Despite their initial fears of the dragon, they trust Kenny, and even
invite his new friend to dinner. Complications arise when the dragon is sited
by the townsfolk. Unfortunately, dragons have a poor reputation of starting
fires and eating . Kenny worries that he may lose his new friend when a knight
is pulled out of retirement. He reacts with realistic emotions, as do his
parents and friends. The plot maintains a good pace throughout with interesting
things happening in every chapter. It’s a fairly quick read, just fifteen
chapters written at a manageable level for preteens. This is a story I have
enjoyed reading several times, and plan to read again in the future.
Five
out of five stars.
Comments
Post a Comment