Return of the Library Dragon: Carmen Agra Deedy and Michael P. White

Book: Return of the Library Dragon
Author: Carmen Agra Deedy
Illustrator: Michael P. White
Pages: 32
Age Range: 4-8 

Return of the Library Dragon is the sequel to Carmen Agra Deedy and Michael P. White's The Library Dragon. I somehow missed the first book, but I enjoyed this second one. The premise is that Miss Lotty, long-time librarian of Sunrise Elementary, is part dragon. Most of the time she looks pretty normal (except for a green tail that sticks out the back of her dress). But when she gets riled up ... watch out! Return of the Library Dragon begins as Miss Lotty has decided to retire. But when the school immediately makes plans to replace all of the books in the library with technology, the fire-breathing dragon returns.

Return of the Library Dragon is an homage to librarians from start to finish. The book opens with an article from School Library Times about the retiring Miss Lotty. Here's a snippet:

"Students had hoped that she would shelve plans for retirement, but Miss Lotty says her departure is long overdue... When asked to recall her fondest memory as a librarian, she replied, Dewey-eyed..."

When the story itself begins, we find Miss Lotty in bed, "counting children's books instead of sheep." Miss Lotty's nemesis in the book, the man who takes all of the books out of the library as soon as her back is turned, is named Mike Krochip. C'mon, you want to laugh. I know you do.

Return of the Library Dragon is a staunch and unabashed defense of books. Real, printed books. When Mike Krochip suggests than an all-digital library with 10,000 books would be better than their library of books that "stain and tear and take up room", the children offer up a variety of reasons why they prefer real books. But when the children's heads are turned by the coolness of Krochip's technology, the Library Dragon takes a stand.

I love the end pages of this book, which are papered with quotes about books, reading, and librarians. Like "To me, nothing can be more important than giving children books" -- Fran Lebowitz. I almost didn't want to turn past the end pages to even read the book. But I'm glad that I did.

Return of the Library Dragon is a picture book for early school age kids, with plenty of text on each page, and a fairly advanced vocabulary ("stampeding", "wisp", "gloat"). The text is mainly dialog, with short, declarative sentences, and an endless array of puns. 

White's illustrations are airbrush on cotton watercolor paper. They aren't strictly realistic (there being a dragon and all). The characters have oddly elongated faces and wavy, wrinkled outlines. But something in White's use of color and shadow makes the characters step, three-dimensional, from the page. The humor continues in the titles of the books shown throughout the text, from "Where the Wild Pigs Are" to "Furious George".

While Return of the Library Dragon certainly has a message to convey, Deedy's story transcends the message, and offers a fun-filled romp for young readers. White's lively illustrations add to the entertainment, and make Return of the Library Dragon a keeper (and a must for school library purchase). This would probably also make a good read-aloud for a first or second grade classroom. (Has anyone tried it?) Recommended.

Publisher: Peachtree (@PeachtreePub)
Publication Date: September 1, 2012
Source of Book: Review copy from the publisher

© 2012 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved. This site is an Amazon affiliate, and purchases made through Amazon links may result in my receiving a small commission (at no additional cost to you).