Title: Roger the Mini-Dragon and the Magic Meadow
Author: Trish Sardinha
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN: 9781491793749
Pages: 108
Genre: Fantasy, Children’s Literature
Reviewed by: Jennifer Weiss
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Pacific Book Review
Roger is a young mini dragon who recently hatched from his egg hidden in Calgary, Alberta. Roger finds himself overlooking a beautiful river and surrounded by other interesting animals. It seems Roger is the only dragon in this strange world. He begins to explore this world with his newfound friends, a dog, a blue jay, and some other animals, and learns of many new and exciting things like a meadow, eagles, humans, and a strange thing called “school.” Roger embarks on different adventures as he begins to learn the nuances on his new world and bonds with all of the creatures he comes in contract with one way or another. Follow along with Roger and discover the world through the eyes of a mini dragon.
Trish Sardinha assimilates to the level of her audience creating a character everyone will come to love immediately. There were a few words that might be harder for young readers (or listeners) to understand such as “pompous,” but that allows parents to introduce new vocabulary into their child’s language. She makes the story very interesting with vivid descriptions, humorous moments and developed characters. The characters are developed, but not overly complex to where the children cannot relate to them. Sardinha does a fantastic job making each character appeal to the target audience, even those of us readers who may be above the age range, making it great for readers of all ages. It is a great way to introduce young readers to not only the fantasy genre, but also chapter books without pictures. It has a few pictures at the beginning of some chapters, but not a lot as children may be accustomed too.
She touches on some harder issues such as death, but shows it in a way that is not scary and is easy to understand. She displays the event as a moment of peace and serenity. The author shows talent at telling a remarkable story that not only appeals to readers in all walks of life, but presents it in a way that is almost addictive. Roger the Mini-Dragon and the Magic Meadow is a wonderful way to bond with children and get them excited about reading. This novel is filled with moments of joyous anticipation. It makes children’s eyes light up like Christmas morning at the thought of what will happen next. After reading this, one has to wonder if Roger and his friends will be making an appearance in future novels.
Any children’s library would be incomplete without this book. It is one of those stories which touches your heart and may even bring a tear to your eye. Personally, I fell in love with the book as soon as I began reading it. It’s a joy to read and share with your children, and open their imaginations to a wondrous world. I can see this becoming a great classic alongside Puff the Magic Dragon or Pete’s Dragon.
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