- Source
- Matthew's Dragon
- Susan Cooper
- illustrated by Jos. A. Smith
- McElderry Books: New York, 1991
- The Story
- Matthew's favorite stories are about dragons. One night, after his
mother tucks him in, the book of dragon stories left on the night
stand opens up and a miniature, but alive, dragon rises up from the
pages. Matthew shrinks in size and embarks on an exciting dragon ride.
Their dire enemy is the black cat from next door, and their midnight snack
is Matthew's father's cherry tomatoes. When the cat threatens to eat
Matthew for his midnight snack, the dragon grows in size until it is as
big as the house. The dragon then takes Matthew to soar in the sky
amongst "all the dragons ever put into the world of story." Then the
dragon takes Matthew home and shrinks to fit into the book again. Matthew
gently closes the book and both of them go back to sleep.
- Comments
- The green-and-gold dragon is not depicted as completely without
fierceness. Its red glowing eyes and sharp teeth make it a bit
surprising that its choice of snack is tomatoes. This nighttime fantasy
does not dismiss itself as a dream but it also does not declare to be
reality. It all depends on the reader's own interpretation.
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Introduction/Index