Danny's Dragon: A Story of Wartime Loss

"Danny's Dragon" is a fictional account of ten year old Danny who is working through the stages of grief after the death of his father in the Iraq war. Danny, his mother, and teenage sister all deal with their personal grief and subsequent healing in different ways in this dramatic fictional story of death and family loss as the result of war. Losing their father and the family "breadwinner" the resulting financial difficulties made it necessary for Danny's mother to sell their farm in Montana. Relocating in Denver, Danny had to adjust to a new school. A classmate and neighbor from Iraq reached out to become Danny's friend. Incidents in the classroom with a group of rowdy boys turn around to be a bridge building experience, in helping these boys understand individuals from other cultures. Their teacher, Mr. Thornton responded when Carl shouted, "That's a lie!" "Carl, if you don't agree with someone, state your evidence instead of saying it's a lie. It's possible for each of us to have a different perspective, different information, and to state truth as we know it. It doesn't make any of us liars, and I will not allow any more accusations of lying. Is that clear?" As the boys work out their differences through classroom activities and after school sports team participation, Danny finds healing from his grief. The author has captured the pain and sorrow of a child processing grief. Author Janet Muirhed Hill is a gifted communicator and story teller with an important and timely message. I was deeply stirred as the plot moved to a climactic surprise ending. This book is an excellent resource tool for care providers, teachers and counselors. It is helpful in dealing with grieving middle school children, opening the way for introducing important dialog. "Danny's Dragon" is a book that should be available in school libraries and on the suggested reading lists provided by crisis counselors.

Reviewed by Debra Gaynor for Reader Views (11/06) When Danny's father is killed in Iraq he faces the different stages of grief. His family must give up their home in Montana because of financial strain. They must find a way to build a new life for themselves. Danny lives for the memories of his father; they bring both pleasure and pain. Danny's imagination turns his horse named Dragon into a real dragon. Guilt consumes Danny, because his father returned to active duty so that he could buy the horse for Danny. He blames himself for his father's death because he wanted a horse. Danny's mother seeks help for him through therapy, but he refuses to share his grief with anyone. It is an honor to not only review this book but also highly recommend it. This book belongs in every household. Children do not understand death and grief. They do not know how to handle it; neither do adults so how can we expect our children to cope with something that we struggle with. Ms. Muirhead is very intuitive and an inspiration to us all. I commend Ms. Muirhead for offering us a book on this topic. While it is something we don't want to face, death is a fact of life and we should be prepared so that we can help our children through it. This book is well written. The story flows smoothly. The characters are endearing. Their lives are too real for comfort. Danny, Mindee and Mom are true to life. The illustrations add to the story line and are well done. The cover made me want to delve inside.

Danny is a ten year old boy whose father was sent off to war in Iraq as part of his Air National Guard unit and who was killed in action. Danny struggles with the various stages of grief as he remembers good times with his father, uses his vivid imagination, and the horse named Dragon that his father had given him. In addition to the pain of losing his father, Danny's family is also plunged into financial problems because of his father's death, and along with his mother and sister, Danny is forced to leave their Montana ranch. Danny must learn about himself, his family, the world, the "fellowship of suffering, and the emotions he feels when attending a Denver public school he discovers has as a classmate the "enemy" -- a boy from Iraq. A skillfully written novel for young readers ages 8 to 14, enhanced with twenty black/white illustrations by Pat Lehmkul, Danny's Dragon is a critically important book that needs to be a part of every school and community library collection in the country as thousands of children find themselves in a similar position to Danny with their fathers (and sometimes their mothers) going off to war, being wounded, and even killed, their lives and families savaged by war and the death of a parent.