The Dragon In The Christmas Tree


No wonder that tree was a little bit heavier this year! 

THREE PROS
*I've looked at a number of small batch publishing options over the years, and I think I've finally found a winner (Bang Printing)  
*I'm usually a sucker for books that add in a sprinkle of magic, and this one does it in spades
*For anyone whose family has experienced displacement due to a natural disaster, a story like this can be really uplifting

THREE CONS 
*Patrick W. Ledray and illustrator Kim Gordon craft a beautiful story, albeit one that is about three pages longer than it probably needed to be 
*Entirely too much napping on the part of the dragon, in my opinion 
*I asked two almost-four-year-olds what they thought of it, and, while they both said they liked it, they didn't jump to that conclusion immediately

ONE DAD'S OPINION
A truly original work, no doubt; but the hardest thing for me to reconcile is that it's not really a holiday story at all (although I decided to include it in my list of holiday books given the title).  Sure, you've got the tree, presents, stockings, et al; but the plot, at its core, did not need to be tied to these elements.  As much as I liked TDITCT, it was that loose Christmas association that seemed to muddle it up for me and the kids I was reading it with.  Normally, the combination of the three cons above plus my previous point would give me the burning desire to call it a Donate.  However, this dragon has enough fire in its belly to earn a Borrow.  
    

Buy / BORROW / Donate / Destroy


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