How to Draw a Dragon by Douglas Florian
2015; Johns Hopkins University Press; Volume: 68; Issue: 10 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1353/bcc.2015.0420
ISSN1558-6766
Autores ResumoReviewed by: How to Draw a Dragon by Douglas Florian Deborah Stevenson, Editor Florian, Douglas How to Draw a Dragon; written and illus. by Douglas Florian. Beach Lane/Simon, 2015 34p Trade ed. ISBN 978-1-4424-7399-7 $17.99 E-book ed. ISBN 978-1-4424-7400-0 $12.99 Ad 5-8 yrs This fanciful rhyming guide offers helpful art advice for the challenging task of dragon-drawing (“Dragons may be large in size./ You’ll need lots of art supplies”). The book offers tips to keep your subject calm (“Soothe your dragon with a song”) and to get the best perspectives (“Draw your dragon’s wings in flight,/ but don’t look [End Page 488] down—and hold on tight!”). Established poet Florian capably anchors the whimsical scenario in specifics, and the second-person address adds humorous immediacy. There’s not a lot of plot, however, and the climax—the art ends up in a show—is pretty anticlimactic. The mixed-media illustrations have the artist’s usual translucent colors and rough, organic lines that give a childlike flavor to his draftsmanship; collage elements add further interest to the dreamily unstable backgrounds. The compositions are sometimes murky and complicated, however, obscuring the focus and lacking Florian’s usual punch; the foldout for the conclusion doesn’t really earn its special effect. It’s still an entertaining conceit and a lively verse, though, and eager dragon artists will appreciate the detailed diagram on the endpapers. Copyright © 2015 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
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