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A WELL WRITTEN STORY, WONDERFULLY ILLUSTRATED WITH GREAT MESSAGES

  • Mar 12, 2010
Rating:
+5
In an ancient forest in a long ago time there lived a dragon named Valerio and a unicorn by the name of Allegra; a gentle and wise creature she was. These two friends love their forest, the beauty, the animals who lived there, the giant trees, flowers and above all the peace.

One day the two friends happened upon some two legged animals, men, men who were cutting down threes and destroying this wonderfully enchanted place. This is the premise of this work. Can these two friends, with the help of the daughter of the King save this beautiful wilderness?

This is one of the best illustrated works I have reviewed in quite some time. The art work is absolutely fantastic. Everything is extremely detailed in subdued, misty and realistic colors. Each page has a boarder; plants, animals, birds and other growing things that frame each and every illustration. If nothing else, this work is a delight for the eye of both young and old.

The entire message of this work is one addressing environmental issues. It does not make man out to be evil and thoughtless; only uninformed and rather unthinking. I note that a few folks have found the story to be "boring." I personally found just the opposite. I felt the story was good and absolutely packed with wonderful points that can and do lead to some wonderful discussion with the children.

Now, I will not mince words here. This work will have a very strong appeal for the "tree hugger" crowd but I must admit to you I am one of those creatures, i.e. a tree hugger, so this work fit my agenda perfectly. Also, the author has used multiracial human characters, i.e. the King and his family are obviously black with a hint of Hispanic. Again, this fits my agenda perfectly and I strongly feel that this will make this work much for appealing for minority children...if fact I know so, as I have read this particular work to multiracial groups of children and they were delighted. Unfortunately these two messages will bend the noses out of shape of some individuals, indeed some groups of people. So be it...it might be good for them. There is also a hit of magic (dragons and unicorns and mythological creatures, oh my!). This will probably offend yet another "special group." Again, so be it and again, it might be good for them.

All in all I found this to be a delightful book and do highly recommend it.

Don Blankenship
The Ozarks

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May 26, 2011
Very nice review, Don! I love the tone of your writing. I do feel that the illustrations were much more exciting than the story itself. Here's my review if you want to read it: http://community.cafelibri.com/reviews/book/...s_Lackluster_Story.html
 
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More The Dragon and the Unicorn reviews
review by . May 26, 2011
posted in Cafe Libri: Reviewing Books & More
Enchanting Illustrations, Lackluster Story
I was drawn to this book because of the title: The Dragon and the Unicorn. I've always enjoyed fantasy books about dragons and unicorns, and this one looked like it might have an unique spin compared to more traditional stories. I was not disappointed.       This children's picture book is about a dragon named Valerio and his friend the unicorn Allegra. Their relationship and peaceful life in Ardet Forest is interrupted by the arrival of humans. King Orlando …
see all The Dragon and the Unicorn reviews (2)
About the reviewer
Don Blankenship ()
Ranked #253
Retirement does not suit me and I now substitute teach in our local schools system. I spent twenty years in the military, twenty years in health care as a consultant and have taught in various colleges … more
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About this book

Wiki

The daughter of medieval King Valerio is visited by a unicorn and dragon who plead to have the forests of the realm preserved. A lovely book about forest conservation perfect for children ages 3-7. The author and illustrator, Lynne Cherry, is deservedly winner of numerous awards for beautiful books. Recommended.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Details

ISBN-10: 0152018883
ISBN-13: 978-0152018887
Author: Lynne Cherry
Genre: Children's Books
Publisher: Sandpiper
First to Review

"A WELL WRITTEN STORY, WONDERFULLY ILLUSTRATED WITH GREAT MESSAGES"
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