I received a review copy of this picture book from the author, Genna Rowbotham for which my thanks.
Ellie May and Her Toy Dragon (2023) is a colourful and sweet story told (like another of Genna Rowbotham’s books I previous reviewed) in verse. This is the tale of a little girl Ellie May, who can’t seem to fall asleep and mischievously does not want to either, refusing to count sheep and wishing to get up and play instead. Her mother tries and fails to get her to go back to bed but when she leaves the room, something magical happens—Ellie May’s toy dragon Ben begins to grow and comes to life.
Now Ben invites her to his dragon castle and soon enough, they’re off with her riding on his back, flying through the beautiful skies, as the planets shine on, over mountains, through valleys and even close to the sea. At Ben’s dragon castle, there’s a party on and Ellie May enjoys herself thoroughly with the singing and dancing and all the scrumptious things to eat.
But all that activity does take its toll and while Ellie May might say she wants to keep playing, her eyes are beginning to shut and the yawns are starting to come and she realises perhaps she does need to sleep after all.
The story is written in the ABCB rhyme pattern, easy for the intended readers to grasp. While it can be enjoyed reading on one’s own, I think (much like the other book I read by the author), the effect will be best if read out aloud, the emphasis on words in some stanzas adding to that effect.
This is an enjoyable read capturing a typical child who doesn’t wish to go to bed (like all of us did one time or other) and to play on instead. This is meant to be fun and not necessarily incorporating a ‘lesson’ but one can see that this is learnt as neither too much good food nor too long without sleep ultimately agrees with Ellie May.
The artwork, here by Shamima Afroz Alis, is vivid and colourful, most pages (bar one or two ‘plain’ ones) covered in art with the verse in its midst. We have the different settings of Ellie May’s room, the beautiful night sky through which they fly (my favourite as I love starry skies) and the magical dragon castle with all the party guests (all dragons but for Ellie May).
Delightful and fun!
Book details: Adventure Scape Press, 2023; pp. 35
Literary Potpourri 