"The illustrations, drawn in a lighthearted cartoon style, have a cinematic quality."- Lucinda Snyder, School Library Journal
German author/illustrator Krause brings long-practiced skills to this sly story. When no princesses are available to feed the local dragon, young Oscar, a schoolboy in a T-shirt and backwards baseball cap, is sent instead. The dragon is outraged at Oscar's tininess, so the boy offers to fatten himself up, requesting kitchen equipment and groceries. Oscar has a gift for cooking, and although he has gained weight, he fools the dragon into believing otherwise ("Oscar, who had learned a thing or two from listening to fairy tales, quickly held out the cooking spoon to the nearsighted dragon"). After much protesting, the dragon caves and tries human food--of course, the two end up opening a restaurant. It's a neat amalgam of fairy tale elements with a little Top Chef thrown in. Krause's pacing is brisk and her tone sure. In her competent hands, the background scenery--lopsided half-timbered cottages, Oscar's kitchen-in-a-cage, and the restaurant they open together (with bathroom signs that show a male dragon standing and a lady dragon seated)--becomes an integral part of the entertainment. Ages 4–up. (Sept.)
12/01/2015
Gr 1–3—A very hungry dragon lives near Oscar's village. As no princesses are available, Oscar is chosen to be fed to the dragon instead. Oscar, however, has a mother who taught him to cook and who read him fairy tales. The boy tells the dragon that he would make a much better meal if he were fattened up instead of eaten right away. Sending the dragon away with grocery lists, Oscar manages to distract him for several days by cooking delicious non-boy meals. In the end, Oscar discovers that the dragon is more lonely than hungry, and they come to an amicable resolution—opening a restaurant together. The illustrations, drawn in a lighthearted cartoon style, have a cinematic quality. Making full use of the available space, parts of the pictures break out of borders and expand off the pages. Many visually humorous elements are included, such as the royal car leaving rapidly at the beginning. The only disappointment in the design is an oddly small font. Because the pictures are so detailed, the book is best appreciated one-on-one, rather than in a group setting. VERDICT A fun complement to more traditional tales.—Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, St. Christopher's School, Richmond, VA
A terrifying beast meets its match in a resourceful boy. When the earth trembles, the villagers at the bottom of the hill know it's time to send the dragon a princess to eat. One day, unfortunately, no princess is available; a child is the next best thing. Village elder Mr. Ballymore holds a lottery and young Oscar (in short pants and backwards baseball cap) is selected. Oscar convinces the dragon, who hasn't eaten in nearly a year, that he needs to be fattened up and turns his birdcage prison cell into a master kitchen. He teases the dragon with tantalizing smells while putting off the day of his eating with additional requests for savory ingredients, all designed to fatten him up, and the old Hansel-and-Gretel trick (he's a well-read boy, too). In the end, the dragon proves that, though he's indeed very hungry, he's also very nice. Packed with wit that never descends into camp and illustrated with verve and style in ink-and-watercolor cartoons, Krause's substantial, self-translated fractured fairy tale delights on every level. (Picture book. 5-8)
