Title: The Dragon and the Nibblesome Night
Author: Elli Woollard
Illustrator: Benji Davies
Age Group: 2-6
Synopsis: A dragon and a knight meet under strange circumstances but don’t realize they’re natural enemies until they’ve already become friends.
The Low Down:
We love dragons. Bug has a mobile of them that we gently blow before he goes to sleep every night. He stomps around the house blowing fire with a little dragon tail strapped on (it also doubles as a dinosaur tail, depending on his mood). So when I received The Dragon and the Nibblesome Knight as part of a book swap I was delighted to see that there was not only dragons but also an adorable blond haired boy on the cover.
The story is fairly predictable but had me smiling and Bug laughing hysterically. Essentially, a dreadful dragon family sends their small dragon son, Dram, out into the world to eat a knight. Dram’s not been out on his own before and through a shocking turn of events (lightening is involved) he crash lands in a pond. Coincidentally, James, the knight, is bird watching there. He seems to think that Dram is some kind of duck (admittedly he looks a bit different from a normal dragon) and helps him with his sprained arm, sore throat, and hungry tummy. The next day Dram finds him at a dragon fighting competition. They refuse to hurt each other and turn the world around causing friendship between humans and dragons. Huzzah!
The rhyming format has an easy rhythm to pick up and even makes it fairly easy to insert your own knight’s name into the story (with the exception of one line). Bug loved the dialogue and laughed every time James called the dragon “Ducky”. It was a fun and engaging story and the illustrations definitely helped keep Bug focused on the book.
The bright color scheme of teals, pinks, and purples lead to some really marvelous illustrations. Davies employs some great use of panels during a lightening storm to really bring the tempest to life. Later, as the day grows late, I love his use of shadows and silhouettes. His changing perspectives and emotionally vibrant characters give this story just that added umpf to make it a great reread, with or without dragon tails.
Story Tips:
- Insert the name of your little one for James. It works, most of the time, and they’ll have so much fun pretending to befriend a dragon.
I need more!
Elli Woollard has a few books out, including another collaboration with Benji Davies (The Giant of Jum). Her character: Woozy the Wizard features in four books and she also has a fun looking story called The Pet Itch. I’d keep an eye on Amazon or Google for more info on her.
Benji Davies has had a brilliant year. With two other titles that came out and are also fabulous: The Storm Whale in Winter and Also and Octopus. These are definitely titles you want to check out. His website is fabulous and up-to-date: http://www.benjidavies.com
Add to my library: The Dragon and the Nibblesome Knight
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