Hunting for Dragons

Bruce Whatley (text/illus)

Scholastic Press, Australia: 2010

ISBN: 9781741693294

Genre: picture book

‘I spend most of the weekend hunting for dragons...Sometimes I see them at the dinner table.' 

A child who is constantly searching for dragons - and seeing them in the shapes of clouds, shadows, food, odd shapes in the laundry basket - epitomises the power of imagination. Despite parental discouragement, the hunt continues, with a very satisfying conclusion. The clever illustrations are designed to tease the reader into looking for (and finding) dragons too. In a world where so much is overstated and where many children's activities have become quite scripted, Hunting For Dragons encourages the return of observation, imaginary play and whimsy.

Bruce Whatley is an extremely talented illustrator of other people's writing but it's great to see him creating his own text as it ensures a seamless interdependence of words and images. This is a book that children will want to revisit in order to pore over the pictures and identify things they missed the first time round. Highly recommended.