cover image The Adventures of the Little Green Dragon

The Adventures of the Little Green Dragon

Mari Privette Ulmer. Unity Books (Unity School of Christianity), $0 (64pp) ISBN 978-0-87159-023-7

In this charming collection of tales, a little green dragon weaves his way through a number of adventures with people and animals and learns, with each adventure, more about himself and others. In the opening tale, the little green dragon wants to save the pretty princess from the wicked king and his army, but his ugliness causes the princess's army to faint. Of course, the little dragon is so ugly that he also causes the wicked king and his army to faint, and, as the pretty princess thanks the dragon for saving her, she tells him that it is his ugly appearance that has defeated the wicked king's army. But, before he can be sad about his ugliness, the princess bolsters his self-esteem by telling him that she loves him just the way he is. And so it goes through the rest of the tales as the little dragon learns about the values of compromise, peacefulness, diversity and cooperation. The repetition of certain phrases like ""the princess was so-o-o-o-o pretty"" and the Little Green Dragon was ""so-o-o-o-o ugly"" becomes tiresome as the story progresses; other devices might have been used to emphasize contrast between characters. New Age spiritual values dominate this book as the Green Dragon learns he must first accept himself as he is before he can truly accept others and others can accept him. Maass's color drawings of a docile dragon with a shy smile, who looks much like Mercer Mayer's Herbert the Timid Dragon, will ensure that children will be delighted by the spiritual exploits of this little green dragon. Ages 6-10. (Aug.)