Wishing for a Dragon

The cover gives lots of clues of the plot within; its night sky twinkles with silvery stars and three small children ride some huge winged creature. Down below graze four-legged beasts, both sporting single horns. Three small children should be ready for bed, but all three are wide awake and ready for adventure. ‘Where shall we go? And what shall we see?’ One wants jungles, another treasure, but little Ella’s dearest wish is to see a dragon. ‘Hop in,’ shouts Ella, as a hot air balloon floats to their window. Wishes come true…a search amongst pirates for gold and a narrow escape from a tiger in the jungle. Eventually the balloon crashes tipping them into a magical land full of the strangest creatures. Readers will love to search for all the tiny pixies in the detailed pictures. As dark falls, the three children gaze in wonder at the star-filled sky, three special constellations picked out; a treasure chest, a tiger….. and a dragon. Over swoops a huge shape. It is Ella’s dream dragon! Exchanging tales of adventures each has enjoyed, the children become sleepy, realising their balloon has crashed so their homeward journey a problem. Dragon to the rescue, and they are safely delivered home. There are lots of details to be found in the pictures which enhance the mystery of the tale, lots of ideas to spark off imaginative talk about dreams and their fulfilment. Having read the story and returned to the title page, we see the three children going upstairs, Barney carrying a skull and cross bones flag, Olive picking up their pet cat… and Bella clutching her cuddly toy dragon, inspiration for all their dream adventures. The repetition of the questions, ‘Where shall we go? And what shall we see?’ make for good participation for the youngest of children, whilst the keenest of picture spotters will see that the balloon body is made up of the patchwork fabric on Sophie’s bed! This story bears frequent reading to glean all the touches woven into it, both in the text and in the charming illustrations.