The Dragons Are Singing Tonight

"If you don't believe in dragons, / It is curiously true / That the dragons you disparage / Choose to not to believe in you," matter-of-factly claims America's premiere children's poet Jack Prelutsky. Dragons aren't all the same, of course--some are amiable, some are disconsolate, and some are downright nasty. Here Prelutsky, who has written over 30 books of poetry for children, turns his considerable talents to the subject of dragons--a secret dragon, a thunder dragon, a mechanical dragon, even a lazy dragon who likes to sleep all day. The 17 poems range from the whimsical to the scary, but all reflect Prelutsky's incomparable flair for rhythm and humor. The fabulous fire-breathers are illustrated in all their irresistible splendor by award-winning artist Peter Sis. The sophisticated style of his large oil paintings is complemented by his trademark borders in antique gold, giving the pages an Old World look. If you don't believe in dragons then you need this book, because the magical combination of art and poetry will make you and your kids believers. If you listen closely, you might even hear the dragons singing tonight: "We are dragons! We are real!" Text © 1993 by Jack Prelutsky. Illustrations © 1993 by Peter Sis. Permission by Greenwillow Books.) (Ages 5 to 9) --Marcie Bovetz

If you are twelve or under, you have probably read -- and memorized -- at least one poem by Jack Prelutsky. He has written more than thirty books of verse, edited several enormously popular anthologies (and been extensively anthologized himself), translated a number of books, and is always at work on the poems for at least three future books. He has lived in Boston, Albuquerque, and Manhattan, but he says he is now happily settled in the Seattle area. Among his most popular books are The New Kid on the Block, Something Big Has Been Here, The Dragons are Singing Tonight, and Monday's Troll.