Kenny & the Dragon
by Tony DiTerlizzi

5 out of 5 stars

Kenny is dismayed to discover that there is a fire-breathing dragon in the back field of their sheep farm. But when he confronts the dragon, he finds that the dragon is kind and gentle. They become friends through talking about books and history and art. But the townsfolk have called for the king to send his best knight to kill the dragon! Can Kenny save his new friend when no one seems willing to listen?

I loved this book so much! The whole story is so charming and whimsical! I loved the adorable characters, and the writing is utterly enchanting in every chapter. 

There are a couple of places where the writing had really lovely poetic sentences, but in a concise and meaningful way so that it doesn’t overwhelm the charming simplicity. There is one place where Kenny is looking up at the sky in the back field, and it says that he couldn’t tell which lights were stars, and which were fireflies. Just a small description, but with a lot of power behind it to immediately put the reader into the cool night. There is also a description of Kenny having a “river-stone-in-the-stomach feeling” when he is afraid. I thought that was such an excellent description that puts you right into Kenny’s shoes. A simple phrase, but it says so much! All of the writing was like that, simple and concise, but imaginative and vivid and powerful. 

I adored Kenny’s character. He’s really quite young to be dealing with such big concepts, but the adults in his life give him some space to figure things out, telling him to rely on his intelligence and common sense to find a solution. His parents are a central part of the story, and I loved how they offer him wisdom and caring, but then let him make some of his own decisions within protective parameters. The whole family relationship is brilliant! 

Kenny’s father is especially a complex character. At first, he just seems like a comic relief character, but later in the story, we see these touching scenes of the father passing down generational wisdom to his son.

I completely fell in love with the delightful dragon, Grahame! He is intelligent and gracious and full of humor and friendliness. I loved the whimsy of seeing a dragon doing delicate things like flying a kite, or painting a watercolor sunset.

This book has been screened on the Screen It First website. https://screenitfirst.com/book/kenny-the-dragon-1437573