Books

Riley and the Sleeping Dragon: A journey around Beijing

By Tania McCartney
Illustrated by Mo Qovaizi

Tania McCartney 2008

With an imagination as big as Max from the much-loved picture book Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, Riley takes readers on a magical journey around Beijing in Riley and the Sleeping Dragon.

When Riley goes to sleep, he dreams not of wild beasts who gnash their teeth and roar their terrible roars, but of a long and scaly dragon with the head of a camel, eyes of a rabbit, ears of a bull and horns of a deer. When he wakes, he goes in search of the two thousand year old sleeping dragon, which his mother tells him lives in China.

Kids and adults alike will love following Riley as he flies his red plane through Beijing, visiting Gu Gong the Forbidden City with its big red doors punched with 81 gold studs, Hou Hai where boaters bob in the water and lotus flowers burst with pink, and the hutong alleyways and courtyard houses where woks spiral delicious steam.

The colourful illustrations of this adventurous little boy are juxtaposed against black and white photographs, taken by the author herself. The mixed-media in this book is delightful, as the plane Riley pilots is also a photograph of a toy plane. The style of the book is uncluttered and easy-on-the-eye with a bright blue background and puffs of white cloud framing the text and images.

Riley and the Sleeping Dragon is an innovative way of introducing children to travel and teaching them about another country. The discovery of the sleeping dragon in the guise of the Great Wall of China at the end of the book will leave readers feeling as though they have been let in on an ancient secret!

Ingrid recommends Riley and the Sleeping Dragon to Canberra Kids aged zero to eight.

RRP: $14.95
Stocked in ACT Libraries: Yes.

Between the pages
Tania McCartney and her family lived in China for four years, but now live in Canberra. The main character of Riley and the Sleeping Dragon is based on her son Riley! The book is part of a series with the next adventure Riley and the Dancing Lion: A journey around Hong Kong expected to be released in November this year.

For more reviews visit http://www.ingridjonach.com/Site/Books_for_Kids/Books_for_Kids.html

Canberra resident Ingrid Jonach is the author of the picture book A Lot of Things, and the children's chapter books The Frank Frankie and Frankie Goes to France, published by Pan Macmillan.
 

Ingrid studied children's literature at the University of Canberra, from which she holds a Bachelor of Arts in Professional Writing (Hons). She has been a speaker at festivals including The National Young Writers Festival, The Somerset Celebration of Literature and the Canberra Readers and Writers Festival. She also addressed the Australian Literacy Educators' Association's conference when it was held in Canberra.

Ingrid performs author visits in schools and hospitals across Australia. She has also been featured in media including The Sydney Morning Herald, Channel Ten News, The Herald Sun, The West Australian and The Canberra Times.
 
For more information visit www.ingridjonach.com

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