Review by Booklist Review
There is a scourge upon the land, in the opinion of one fierce (read: small and plump) dragon. A pair of flouncy princesses have invaded his kingdom and are committing deplorable deeds. The girls have planted flowers everywhere, and his fellow dragons have abandoned their ferocious ways to frolic in tutus, becoming shamelessly (and shamefully) cute. Enough is enough, so the squat red dragon sets off to find a hero to take care of the problem. But when the old knight deploys ye olde dragon net in the grove where the beasts are gathered, the little dragon is left with no choice but to ask the princesses for help. Happily, they are more than up for the task and show everyone that being cute and being fierce aren't mutually exclusive. This silly fairy-tale adventure is a delight from start to finish, and its empowering conclusion is a welcome bonus. Pippin-Mathur's candy-colored watercolor illustrations are gleeful with whimsical touches and guaranteed to elicit laughter from young readers.--Smith, Julia Copyright 2017 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Horn Book Review
When two prancing princesses in puffy dresses "invade" a dragon's kingdom, they make changes ("finery had replaced flames. Cute had replaced ferocious") that enrage the dragon. His plan to get rid of them backfires and he must eventually seek their help, leading to a girl-power conclusion for likewise "fierce" young readers. Colorful, cartoonlike illustrations playfully distinguish an otherwise too-familiar tale of unlikely friendship. (c) Copyright 2018. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Foolish prejudice and Little Rascals-type antics come to an inevitable conclusion in Pippin-Mathur's fantasy realm of dragons and princesses. A dragon is fierce. He lives in a land that is full of rocks and dark with the smoke of frighteningly fiery breathin a word, wonderful. That is until two princessesone pale-skinned, the other brown-skinned, and both festooned in tutus and rufflesinvade and begin to change everything. Craggy rocks are covered in flowers, flaming burps are replaced with finery and tea parties, and his fellow dragons are taken by the cuteness and pastels. Desperate to oust the interlopers, the dragon turns to his longtime enemy, a pale-skinned knight, to rid his kingdom of the princesses. But when the knight uses the opportunity to ensnare all the other dragons at once, it is the princesses who come to the rescue, terrifying the knight with an incendiary burp. Seeing the princesses in a new light, the dragon finally embraces their presence and the changes they've brought. Awash in pastels, the illustrations offer bright, dynamic spreads that smoothly employ varying perspectives and pace the momentum of the page turns. With its unimaginative gender opposition, however, the narrative unfortunately fails to match the illustrations' draw for readersespecially for those who already don't find ferocity and flowers to be mutually exclusive. Fun and energy staled by tired tropes. (Picture book. 3-7) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
