Review by Booklist Review
PreS-Gr. 2. Ordered to play with his toddler brother, a boy wishes that his sibling would turn into a dragon. As he imagines playing with a dragon, though, the boy realizes that the beast might not be an ideal companion after all. During basketball, the beast can block the basket with his girth and tail. In the swimming pool, it leaves no space for anyone else. After the boy's hair is singed during a whistling activity, he sends the dragon away and discovers that he actually enjoys digging in the sandbox with his little brother. Using relatively few words, the first-person text captures the boy's voice as well as some of his thoughts, while leaving plenty of room for listeners to interpret the action and the characters' reactions and emotions. Brightened with a few sparingly used but effective colors, the large-scale cartoon artwork is clearly drawn, expressive, and often droll. The ending may be predictable, but that won't diminish children's enjoyment of this amusing picture book. A good partner for Paul Meisel's I Wish My Brother Was a Dog0 . (1997). --Carolyn Phelan Copyright 2006 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Morton wishes his pesky little brother would "turn into something fun"-such as, say, a friendly, humongous and very green dragon. But like a lot of fantasies, this one falls apart in the details. The dragon blocks all his basketball shots, singes Morton's hair when its whistles, and (shades of Danny and the Dinosaur) doesn't offer much of a hide-and-seek challenge. Maybe hanging out in the sandbox with his brother isn't so bad after all. The Ellerys come from the world of filmmaking and animation (Tom Ellery's title designs won an Emmy for the 2002 version of Harold and the Purple Crayon); overall their debut effort has the feel of a well-oiled, fairly disposable cartoon. But there is something interesting going on in the watercolor, ink and charcoal pictures. Although the two main characters may be exuberant, if somewhat conventional cartoon figures, the settings and backgrounds are accented with washes of moody browns and grays-literal foreshadowings that seem to be telling Morton to be careful what he wishes for. Ages 3-7. (June) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-Dismayed when his mom asks him to play with his baby brother, Morton wishes that the tot could turn into something fun, like a kite, or better yet, a hulkingly huge, lime-green dragon. In a series of amusing illustrations, the boy imagines the activities that he and his new companion would share, followed by the less-than-fun results on the next spread. A walk seems like a great idea, but the page turn shows the creature flying off into the sky with Morton dangling from its leash. A basketball game might be enjoyable, until he realizes the impossibility of scoring against a wall of towering green flesh. Whistling together is also a bust, as the youngster ends up with toasted hair. Chastened, Morton banishes his imaginary playmate and races home to join his brother in the sandbox. The brief text, interspersed with wordless spreads, makes this offering a great choice for newly independent readers as well as for sharing aloud. The exuberant watercolor-and-charcoal cartoons take maximum advantage of the dragon's girth, and the images sprawl across the pages. The wacky elasticity, breezy hilarity, and unexpected perspectives in the art add a sense of mad motion. This book's theme will resonate with children, who will appreciate the jokes and identify with the mischievous protagonist and his unusual friend.-Marge Loch-Wouters, Menasha Public Library, WI (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
When ordered to play with his baby brother, Morton imagines what it would be like to have a dragon for a playmate instead and realizes what a bad idea that is (e.g., the dragon is too easy to find during hide-and-seek). Though the message feels somewhat forced, the quick, simple text is nicely paired with storyboard-style illustrations. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
The Ellerys, both of whom have Disney connections, debut with a sketchy but animated take on a familiar whine: "I don't want to play with my brother! He's too little," responds Morton to a parental command. Morton's unhappiness turns to glee, at least temporarily, when he imagines his toddler sibling transformed into a huge dragon--but then, on second thought, how much fun would it be to play basketball, go the swimming pool or watch a movie with such a gigantic companion? "Eesh." Simply drawn, but with expressive faces and postures, the small carrot-topped lad and his towering green playmate stand out against minimal monochrome backgrounds in a series of nearly wordless setup-and-punch line scenes. Coming around to acceptance at last, Morton runs home to fetch a bucket and is last seen happily playing with his normal-sized brother in the sandbox. Parts of the spread portraying Morton's dash disappear into the gutter, but that's really the only bobble in this brief, cheery episode. (Picture book. 5-7) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
