As I started this book, I wished I would be surprised by the ending. Something told me I wouldn't be, and indeed, I wasn't. That's the thing about books that set out to teach a lesson. You can see it coming and you're just supposed to agree that that is the way it "should" end and enjoy the path there. In this tale of two very different dragons that live on opposite sides of the world, we're supposed to accept that they somehow know about each other, dislike each other, and that should matter. The best part? The clever way the West dragon gets temporarily rid of the local king and pesky knights giving him a chance to take an extra long nap and avoid the nasty smell of roasted knight for a while. As for illustrations, dragons offer so many possibilities, but the illustrations here made them broadly dragon-ish and broadly different from each other. Finally, the concept of one dragon being "east" and the other being "west" seemed to have no significance that added to the story so why the geographical allusion? We must have had a theme this week at the library. Another City Mouse and Country Mouse type book. East Dragon, West Dragon. Funny story about two dragons from two different parts of the world. You have to read it and see the illustrations that make it so funny. As, an adult I appreciated this book a lot. For first grader, Ella, I think she liked it, but since ancient civilizations won't be covered until 7th grade, a wee bit was lost on her.
What do You think about East Dragon, West Dragon (2012)?
Turns out dragons can be judgmental & ignorant about each other - just like people!
—Nyssa
Unique tale of friendship, but if feels a little didactic.
—Jackson
