Dragons from Mars

by Deborah Aronson, Colin Jack (Illustrator)

Overview

For fans of Dragons Love Tacos comes a fun, silly picture book about some unexpected guests from space.

There’s a boy named Nathaniel who loves dragons—a ton! So he sends them an email and says, just for fun,“Dear dragons from Mars, I think you’re the best! Would you like to see Earth and stay here as my guest?”

Will the dragons receive it? Do you think they’ll reply? And what if the dragons decide to stop by. . . .

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062368508
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	10/18/2016
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	10.10(w) x 10.20(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Deborah Aronson is a writer of stories in rhyme. She is the author of Dragons from Mars and Where’s My Tushy? Deborah is a retired social worker and lives with her husband in Michigan.

Colin Jack has illustrated several books for children, including Dragons from Mars, the Galaxy Zack series, 7 Days of Awesome, and If You Happen to Have a Dinosaur. He also works as a story artist and character designer at DreamWorks Studios. He lives in California with his wife and two kids. Follow Colin on Twitter @colinjack8. 

Editorial Reviews

2016-07-26
Be careful what you wish for. You might just get it (fiery breath and all). Rhyming text tells of a redheaded white boy named Nathaniel who one day looks up at the sky and wonders, for no particular reason, if dragons live on Mars. Inspired, he sends an email to the planet inviting these hypothetical dragons to Earth to stay with him. Molly and Fred take the boy up on the offer, but though they obey his mother’s command to set nothing on fire, they wreck the house anyway. Chagrined, they repair it and even add a dragon-sized wing for themselves. Putting aside the fact that there is no reason to involve Mars in this story (except to make for an interesting title), Aronson’s storyline is as familiar as a well-worn pair of old shoes…and twice as dull. The dragon antics are not particularly naughty, the chaos is subdued, and the idea of having a magical pet/friend has been done far better in such books as A Dragon Moves in, by Lisa Falkenstern (2011). The limp plot and tired rhymes cannot be saved, even by Jack’s energetic art, which seems to be just as puzzled by the Mars connection as readers will be. Employing an animator’s aesthetic, Jack depicts very normal dragons that display no hint of their extraterrestrial origins. A bust. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Review