Again by Emily Gravett

Again by Emily Gravett
Macmillan Children's Books, 2012. ISBN 9780330544030.
(Age: 3+) Highly recommended. Picture book. Reading. It's not often you see a book that successfully appeals to both children and adults alike, but this one does. A treat for all readers, especially those long suffering parents and carers who read and reread a book to their impatient charges, again and again. In this delightfully illustrated book, baby dragon just adores his nightly read with his mother. The story in his favorite book concerns a red dragon called Cedric, just like him. The Cedric in the book never goes to bed, but goes out at night tormenting trolls and grabbing princesses to make into pies. An increasingly frustrated baby dragon wants the story read to him again, and as he blusters about prodding his mother to read the tale over, he becomes redder and redder, until finally his anger gets a little too much. And the story being read to him changes as well, as the Cedric in the story is changed by Mum to be one that does go to sleep, a hint to her charge that rather falls on deaf ears.
Beautiful touches appear on every page: the look on the baby dragon's face, the snuggle blanket, the motifs on the blanket, the increasingly tired mother as her image becomes more and more prone, the increased demands of the baby; all are instantly recognisable by the adult reading this book to the children, and parallel what happens in their homes. The climax of the story will bring hoots of laughter from the very willing audience, and the last few pages will intrigue and delight all who read this tale.
Oh, and the endpapers are a treat as well - it's always an extra surprise to see endpapers so well incorporated into the story rather than be left blank.
Fran Knight