The Flying Dragon Room

This is one of those charming little books that happily manage to place the most fantastic and impossible of ideas well in the realms of mundania to provide a wondrous story of a boy tour-guide and a fantastic building. When his parents don't allow him to help with the apparently very mature task of painting the house, a boy borrows magic tools to keep himself busy and out of trouble. But when the week is up, he is ready to take his family on a tour of an underground wonderland of miniature beasts and bouncing rooms. The marvelous pictures move the story along, as well do the delightfully understated dialogue and characters who happily go along the wild ride. Great fantasy for kids.

This is an excellent, imaginative book that my 3 1/2 year-old son absolutely loved. We are big fans of Mark Teague's illustrations and found this book because of him, but we now love Audrey Wood, as well. This book is adventurous, but not scarey, as well as fun and playful. It would be an excellent gift for ages 2.5-5 years.

I particulary enjoyed this book by my favorite picture book author because I was able to take my children to see Ms. Wood and Mr. Teague when it came out. I have used it in my classroom as a springboard for a writing activity because it is a wonderful reminder that with imagination and books you can go anywhere and do anything. The characters drift from room to room without any particular plot, but it is forgivable because the book celebrates the "can-do" spirit of childhood. My three year old wants to read it over and over to watch where "Baby Sarah" ends up and look at the cornucopia of images on every page. I always prefer Don Wood's illustrations with her books, but if you can relinquish that expectation the pictures are a lot of fun.