Dragons: A Pop-Up Book of Fantastic Adventures
Grade 1-4–This book's handsome cover features two flying fork-tongued beasts, a backdrop of touchable green scales, and leather-toned edges. Inside, dramatically illustrated spreads introduce five dragon tales: Saint George and the Dragon; a Chinese legend telling how four compassionate dragons transformed themselves into crop-saving rivers; the story of young Maud and her out-of-control pet wyvern; the elderly Beowulf's last battle with the Fire Dragon; and a Japanese tale about a sea dragon princess. Throughout, colorful, three-dimensional creatures pop up to uncurl a snakelike body, rear an awe-inspiring head, or stretch their mammoth wings. The focus is on the art and kinetic paper engineering as the tales are briefly–and sketchily–retold. While readers will devour the action-packed illustrations, the superficial text will leave them hungry for more substantial storytelling. An additional purchase for display purposes or perhaps for classroom presentations.–Joy Fleishhacker,School Library JournalCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.