37 months - after 3-4 reads O lost interest in reading this one again. ( )

Summary: While going out to collect eggs from his mother's chickens, George finds a giant egg in the coop. George takes the egg into his bedroom and waits for it to hatch. When it finally does, George comes face to face with a baby dragon and realizes that it is his duty to teach the dragon dragony ways, such as how to fly, breathe fire, distress a damsel, and defeat a knight. The dragon eventually comes to realize that he wants to be with his own kind, so he flies off to find the place where dragons live. He comes back though one last time to take George to see his new home and thank him for all he has done.

Genre Critique: This is a good example of a fantasy, because there are elements of the story that could not exist in the real world. These include: the existence of dragons, a chicken laying a giant dragon egg, a boy raising a dragon, and being able to ride around on his back as he flies. Even though these aspects of the story are not real, children can relate to the idea of having responsibility to take care of something such as a pet or a younger sibling. They may also be able to relate to using nonverbal communication to communicate with others.

Media: watercolor ( )

Most appropriate for grades k-2. In this science fiction tale, a young boy named George finds a mysterious, giant egg in his mother's chicken house. He decides to keep it and takes care of the gigantic egg. One day it hatches, and a little dragon pops out. George teaches the newborn dragon all kinds of important dragon things. His lessons include one on flying, fire breathing, distressing a damsel, and defeating a knight. At night, George would read his dragon a bedtime story, "as all good mothers should." Eventually the dragon left for a place where dragons live, but he thanks George for everything he had done for him. This is a really charming little science fiction/fantasy type story that many kids would enjoy. The illustrations are beautiful and very detailed.
Uses in classroom:
-Easy introduction to science fiction/fantasy genre
-Interactive read-aloud
-Independent reading
-Inspiration for creative writing activity

This science fiction children’s book tells of George, who finds an extra large egg in the chicken house and notices a huge hole in the roof. He decides to take it to his room, where he proceeds to hatch it by keeping it warm and reading to it. When it hatches, George helps it to learn to fly and how to use its fire breathing. The dragon goes off in search of his family, but returns to take George on a trip to a place where the dragons live. Without words, the dragon thanks George.

This would be a good science fiction story that wouldn’t be scary for children. The pictures have enormous detail and wonderful coloring. It is the first book in a series so it would be fun to return to the same characters.

This would be a good book to initiate a science lesson in what types of animals lay eggs and how strong is a normal chicken egg. There is a great experiment that I found online in which you take an ordinary egg and set it upright in soft clay. You then take two blocks of wood that is the same height and form a triangle base. Next, put a cookie sheet on top and proceed to carefully put books on it to see how many the egg can hold until it breaks. ( )

An enchanting story about a boy who tenderly cares for a baby dragon. From reading it stories as he awaits the dragon's hatching to teaching him how to fly, George shows us a nurturing imagination while the pictures hold us spellbound by the magical proportions and the play of light and color. On one page, the moonlight streams through a window and casts a shiny gleam on part of the giant egg. It's as if the light invites us to slip away into the world of dreams and dragons. Little details in each scene, falling glasses, a tumbling boy, shadows and twilight colors, draw the reader into lingering on the page. If only the plot were more developed, the story might become a memorable classic of childhood.
Classroom uses: the pictures would make a great introduction to basic art analysis. Children could also create their own adventures for the dragon. ( )