While patrolling the castle walls one night, a hungry dragon shows up and Owl must use his wits to avoid meeting a terrible end. He is much smaller than the other knights-in-training, struggles to wield weapons, and has “a habit of nodding off during the day.” Nevertheless, he graduates and is assigned to the Knight Night Watch. When a record number of knights go missing, Owl applies to Knight School and is surprisingly accepted. He imagines himself defeating dragons and winning favor far and wide through his brave exploits. Owl, an adorably earnest and gallant little owlet, dreams of being a knight. A sandy complement to If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. But if you build another perfect sandcastle, perhaps he'll come back (with friends) tomorrow. Maybe it's time to get rid of the dragon, as long as you are polite about it. The deadpan text is sure to illicit giggles as it captures the conundrum of an imaginary friend with a child's eye and provides a gentle acceptance of the mild misbehavior that sometimes accompanies imaginative play. You have to feed the dragon and clean up after him-and no one will believe you when you explain that the dragon is the one to blame. Was that a dragon-ish cackle coming from inside the sandcastle? Be careful what you wish for! Colorful, cartoony illustrations brim with humor as they depict this animated boy and the impish dragon who may or may not entirely exist. But then things start to get complicated. At first, things are perfect: You have a friend to play with, a permanent bully deterrent, a built-in marshmallow toaster and an ever-present raft. Doesn’t every child want a dragon? Well, 'f you build the perfect sandcastle, a dragon will move in,' and in this funny and creative riff on cause and effect, that's exactly what happens.

When a dragon moves in by jodi moore