The Dragon's Child
Fearing the doggins (predatory, pantherlike creatures) and humans who inhabit their forest, the dragons decide to return to their homeland. The youngest dragon child, Dando, cannot yet fly and falls off his mother’s back during the exodus, leaving him all alone except for a small bird that has befriended him. Dando is discovered by the chief’s son and imprisoned in a cage, leaving a young slave-girl and the bird to try and rescue him. Nimmo’s latest novel offers high fantasy and adventure for the beginning chapter-book crowd. Dando’s development from an immature and helpless creature to a flight-worthy, fire-breathing beast will please young readers and introduce them to the tropes of this genre. Marks’ pencil sketches help to break up the short chapters, and the book’s die-cut outer edge (profiling an image of Dando) should attract younger readers. Give this to fans of Juliet Trewellard’s Butterfingers (2007) or Angela McAllister’s Digory the Dragon Slayer series. Grades 2-4. --Kay Weisman