The Dragon Machine

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It is the simple, matter of fact manner in which the author describes George's observations of the dragons that is captivating, almost mesmerizing. The little boy is not really noticeable and at the end he is very noticeable, but there is nothing in any other part of the book that talks about his difficulty being noticed and how it has hindered or frustrated his life. All in all, he wanted less fluffy talk about George's lonely feelings and more descriptions of what was occurring. He eventually decides that they need to go to a safe place, so he builds a machine to help make that happen. He builds a fantastic dragon shaped machine and leads the dragons home and then is found and taken home himself, no longer feeling invisible.

I chose this for a first week of school read-aloud for 3rd grade because it has very beautiful illustrations, also because the other book we read was The Library Dragon and this library seems to have a thing for dragons. However, I ended up really enjoying this book because of the underlying message that I picked up from it: it's okay to be different and love other people because they are different. They include purposeful writing suggestions, links to the wider curriculum so that texts can be used across other subjects, key questions as well as spelling or phonics investigations. It had lots of potential, but there was a side story that was a distraction and completely underdeveloped. In this set based on The Dragon Machine by Helen Ward and Wayne Anderson you’ll find ideas to support spoken language, reading, writing, grammar, vocabulary and spelling.His diligence in finding a way to send the dragons home is fantastical yet told in ordinary language, as if routine and unremarkable, much like George feels. They will be enthralled by the charming illustrations and enjoy the adventurous story that is suitable for those beginning to read independently. Evan tried and tried, reading more and watching more and looking for the types of stories his Brownie friends had made for him, but he could not find them inside or out.

They will explore how authors use description to enhance the information they present to readers and will include descriptive vocabulary in their own writing. A lovely story with illustrations that lift it out of the ordinary, I'm very happy to add it to my ever growing collection of dragon books!You guys were so fab and Dawn was such a lovely presence in the schools - I will absolutely be in touch next time I'm in your neck of the woods.