Gramps and the Fire Dragon

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Gramps and the Fire Dragon
Gramps and the Fire Dragon.jpg
Author Bethany Roberts
IllustratorMelissa Iwai
LanguageEnglish
GenreChildren's fiction
PublishedSpring 2000 [1] [n 1]
Publisher Clarion Books [3]
Publication placeUnited States
Pages32 [3]
ISBN 0-395-69849-9

Gramps and the Fire Dragon is a 2000 book by children's author Bethany Roberts, with illustrations by Melissa Iwai. The book, which tells of a grandson and grandfather who must escape a dragon that emerged from the flames of their fireplace, was published to positive reviews.

Contents

Plot

One night, a boy named Jesse asks his grandfather (nicknamed "Gramps") for a bedtime story near their fireplace. The latter tells of a dragon within the flames, which grows in size and prompts the two to escape from its path until Jesse extinguishes it with a water hose. [3] [4] [5]

Development

Illustrator Melissa Iwai, who hailed from Lompoc, California, respectively modeled Jesse and Gramps after her husband Denis (via portraits from his youth) and Denis' own father. [1]

Reception

Amid positive press, reviewers noted the fast-paced proceedings in Gramps and the Fire Dragon, [3] [4] [5] and also noted that Jesse and his grandfather's victory was never in doubt for the sake of young readers. [3] [4] Barbara Buckley of the School Library Journal commended the friendliness of the titular dragon's design, and "the use of two-page spreads [which] highlights the crisis spots in the text." [3] Shelle Rosenfield of Booklist said, "[Their] adventure ends on a warm, comforting sleepy-time note, as it celebrates both the delights of storytelling and the special relationship between grandparent and grandchild.... The exciting and sometimes silly story conveys a message about love and sharing". [4] In 2001, Gramps was honored as a Children's Choice selection by the International Reading Association and Children's Book Council. [2] [6]

Notes

  1. ↑ Listed with a 1997 date (predating its official publication) in Gale's Something About the Author series. [2]

References

  1. 1 2 Poe, Brenda (July 11, 2003). "Woman enjoys working for kids" . Santa Maria Times . Santa Maria, California. p. C6. Retrieved July 9, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  2. 1 2 Kumar, Lisa, ed. (2010). "Roberts, Bethany 1949–". Something About the Author . Vol. 202. Gale Research. p. 153. ISBN   978-1-4144-3499-5 . Retrieved July 9, 2023– via Internet Archive.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Buckley, Barbara (November 2000). "Review: 'Gramps and the Fire Dragon'" . School Library Journal . Vol. 46, no. 11. p. 130. ISSN   0362-8930. ProQuest   211703358 . Retrieved July 9, 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Rosenfield, Shelle (January 1–15, 2001). "Review: 'Gramps and the Fire Dragon'" . Booklist . Vol. 97, no. 9/10. pp. 970–971. ISSN   0006-7385. ProQuest   235517790 . Retrieved July 9, 2023.
  5. 1 2 JS (Spring 2001). "Preschool: 'Gramps and the Fire Dragon'" (PDF). The Horn Book . Vol. 12, no. 1. p. 22. ISSN   1044-405X. ProQuest   207550978 . Retrieved July 9, 2023.
  6. ↑ "Children's Choices for 2001: Young Readers: 'Gramps and the Fire Dragon'" . The Reading Teacher . 55 (2). International Reading Association/Wiley: 178. October 2001. ISSN   0034-0561. JSTOR   20205029 . Retrieved July 9, 2023.
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