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Summary
Summary
Sapphire isn't like other dragons; she doesn't enjoy destroying things. One day, she discovers a forest filled with flowers. "Hello, neighbors!" she calls to the animals, who run away in fear. Despite her best efforts to make friends, the animals don't want her around. "You can't live here," they tell her. "Leave us alone!" But when the animals settle down for a nap, they find themselves surrounded by dragons with fiery flames! Can Sapphire help-or have they driven her away forever?
Author Notes
Jonny Lambert grew up in Surrey, England, and always knew he wanted to be an artist of some sort. Encouraged by his art instructor at the Reigate School of Art and Design, Jonny is now an artist of many sorts: a talented illustrator with more than 300 titles to his name, designer, and paper engineer. He lives with his wife, daughter, and a menagerie of animals in West Sussex, England.
Reviews (3)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-This is the story of a most unusual dragon. Sapphire has no desire for hoarded riches or kidnapped princesses, but instead sets out to find a simpler way of life. She crash-lands in a peaceful meadow, causing quite the frenzy among the local fauna who sternly evict her when her clumsiness inadvertently wreaks havoc on their home. However, when a group of "fiery and scary" dragons burn the idyllic forest to the ground, Sapphire swoops in to protect her friends and finds a new home with enough space for everyone to share. The colors are bright and whimsical, using a variety of textures and vibrant lines to convey the story's movement and ample white space to delineate each scene. The size and placement of the text across the page is dynamic and serves to highlight fun vocabulary. The characters convey a range of emotions, from a sad and droopy dragon to jubilant celebrations. VERDICT Though the story follows a familiar formula, the textured and expressive illustrations and whimsical colors will provide an engaging reading experience for pre-readers as well as early elementary students.-Kelly Topita, Anne Arundel County Public Library, MD © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Sometimes dragons get too much respect.Sapphire the dragon isn't one for crushing castles, torching forests, or swiping damsels. She isn't happy with her rocky roost either, so she flies off to discover more amenable climes. She does, in a meadow sweet with flowers and grasses and copses of birch. But she scares the dickens out of the meadow dwellers, all except the mouse she inadvertently lands upon, who in no short order tells the dragon she can't stay. Sapphire tries to explain that she is a friendly dragon when a series of muddles makes her look like a bad old dragon after all, and she is banished from the meadow. Whereupon a flight of other, truly ill-meaning dragons descends on the meadow and torches the place before Sapphire returns to chase them off. The meadow now cinders, Sapphire, with the foxes, squirrels, rabbits, and mice riding on her back, flies off to find a new home. There's little new here, but the artwork conveying the story is a natty collection of colors, collage, and brush strokes to keep the eye busy and build sympathy for Sapphire. Lambert isolates his characters against generous white space, which heightens the effectiveness of body language and interactions.A simple story with sophisticated illustrations that won't fly over the heads of young readers. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Sapphire, a big, blue, flying dragon, has had it with rocky mountains and isn't interested in crushing castles and capturing princesses. When she relocates to a sunny meadow, the other animals are not happy. Sapphire is good-hearted, but doesn't endear herself to them when she accidentally scorches Warbler and crashes through the trees. The animals don't want a bungling dragon messing things up, but when they are attacked by a gang of fiery, scary dragons, Sapphire swoops in and finds a happy new home for all of them, with sunshine and flowers, and space for everyone, even the biggest of friends. The text is dynamic and descriptive, with plenty of engaging action words, but the colorful, eye-catching illustrations steal the show, with Sapphire at the center of most of the scenes. The spacious pages and the simplicity of the book's design flora and fauna are placed against ample white space allow the nuanced and charming artwork to pop. It's a story that's been told many times, but one that bears repeating.--Enos, Randall Copyright 2018 Booklist
