A classroom story comes alive in the art room as children decorate dragons for Mei Lin's birthday. An excellent choice for storytime, the text features just a few lines per page and many fun sounds - from the Birthday Dragon's "boink-boink eyes" and "ricky-rack back" to the "stomp, bomp-tromping" of a dragon dancing parade that goes "creep-crouching through tall forests" on one page and "swirl-whirling around whispery meadows" on another. The color of the gouache-and-marker illustrations increases in brightness as the students transition gradually from the classroom into their imaginative fantasy. Line and space convey the celebratory movement of the parade as well as the more hushed wonder of the dreamlike journey. Repeating shapes and elements create rhythm and bring unity throughout the illustrations. Pleasing to the eye and the ear, this book is a satisfying introduction to the dragon of Chinese culture and may also inspire the creation of a few original "sparkly paper and ribbons" dragon crafts. - Julie R. Ranelli, Kent Island Branch Library, Stevensville, MD Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
By Carole Lexa Schaefer, Illustrated by Pierr Morgan. Hardcover, 10.8" x 10.1" x 0.6", 40 pages, ages 4-8
