Young Drake the dragon is sent to the local village to cause some mischief and start a fire. But Drake has only ever breathed fire to roast a tasty caterpillar. How will be burn down a whole house? Or a school? Or even an old wooden shack? Has Drake got what it takes to make his father proud? Dragons: Father and Son is a funny and moving story about the bonds between fathers and children, with a positive, peaceful message – and all the magic and mayhem you’d hope for in a tale about dragons. Named one of Bank Street College of Education’s Best Children’s Books of the Year, 2018! PreS-Gr 2— Two dragons, a father and son, learn that there are many ways to be a dragon. One day Drake's father tells his son that he must go to the village and burn down a house. Why? It's tradition. So Drake flies to the village and picks a house to burn down but is interrupted by the excited shouts of a small boy, who is ecstatic that dragons exist. Drake is persuaded not to burn down that house and each subsequent substitution (the school, a fishing shack) is also squashed. Not only are the villagers crafty enough to subvert his fiery endeavors—they actually like dragons quite a bit. When he returns home, Drake is able to convince his father that there might be other ways to be famous. The cartoonish line-and-watercolor drawings are filled with gleeful and terrified expressions of the townspeople, and there are many smaller details that will reward repeated readings. Drake's father, drawn complete with muscle shirt and five—o'clock shadow, is incredibly expressive in his fuming anger and crankiness. The background is filled with the comedic antics of a village shocked by a dragon's appearance and the text moves speedily through the silly situations. Readers are sure to cheer when Drake discovers that he can be his own dragon, no burning down houses required. VERDICT Subversive and comical, this read-aloud is sure to please storytime audiences. Recommended for purchase for medium to large collections or anywhere dragon tales are popular.— Laken Hottle, Providence Community Library STARRED REVIEW "The design of the book, along with Badel's illustrations—two-page spreads in which a complete page of elegantly wonky watercolor artwork bleeds into the opposite text page—gives the story an exceptional sense of flow. Drake is pudgily adorable, and the humans...have a Quentin Blake-esque air to them. One of those modest efforts that throws off more light than one might expect from the humble glow of its parts."― Kirkus Reviews Alexandre Lacroix is the Editor-in-Chief of Philosophie Magazine in France and teaches creative writing at Sciences Po. He has written several novels for adults and picture books for children.