From Publishers Weekly
In another display of impressive storytelling, Newbery Medalist Cooper (the Dark Is Rising sequence; The Selkie Girl ) recounts Matthew's post-bedtime escapade. As he settles into his pillow, the boy watches the pages of his book open to reveal a dragon with golden scales and eyes like rubies. Matthew becomes as small as this personable creature, and the two slip under the window. After snacking on tomatoes and doing battle with the nasty neighborhood cat, Matthew and the dragon--who grows to be as large as a house--fly high into the sky, where they meet up with "all the dragons ever put into the world of story." Filled with imaginative creatures, incandescent colors and thrilling motion, Smith's paintings of the dragon-crowded sky are truly breathtaking. This is an inspired pairing of author and illustrator. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 2-- Matthew's mother has just read him a bedtime story about dragons, and he is snuggled down, ready for sleep, when the book begins to glow. Matthew pushes up its cover, and the dragon on the last page sits up and smiles. The young boy arises from bed, becomes as small as the dragon, and the two embark on a nocturnal voyage fraught with danger and delight. The neighbor's cat, a razor-clawed monster who will leave ailurophobes trembling, stalks the pair and almost makes a meal out of Matthew before the dragon snatches him up to safety in the air. There they encounter every sort of dragon ever imagined. In a spectacular double-page spread, the winged creatures glide across the starry sky like exploding fireworks. Distinguished writing and dramatic illustrations make for an attractive package, but the length of the story and the terrifying aspect of the ferocious feline require a one-on-one sharing experience between a child and a trusted adult for optimal enjoyment. --Anna DeWind, Milwaukee Public Library
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
