A Poor Excuse for a Dragon

Fredthedragonhasalistoftaskshemustcompleteinordertobeasuccessfuldragon—noneofwhichcomesnaturally.Buthe'sdeterminedtomake#5—eatpeople—work.Beforeyoucansay"passthesalt"he'sgobbledupthreepeopleeventhoughhedoesn'thavethestomachforit.Luckilyalocalshepherd,withthehelpofagiantandawitch,knowshowtocurewhatailshimandgetthosepeskypeopleoutofhisbelly.It'shappily-ever-afterforeveryoneinwaysyou'dneverexpect.Geiselaward-winningauthor/illustratorGeoffreyHayesisasteppedreadermaestro.ThecommonthreadsbetweenhiswildlypopularUncleToothandOttoSIRsandthemorerecentBennyandPennyseries(ToonBooks)areclearandconstant.Theartisadorable,thecharactersareburstingwithpersonality,andthestoriesarehumorouslysubversive.Frommaraudingpiratestomisbehavingmicetoadragonwhoswallowspeoplewhole(andthencontinuestocommunicatewiththeminhisbelly!),Geoffreyalwayshitsthatsweetspotforthesteppedreaderaudience—easytodecode,illustrativetalesthatticklethefunnybone.