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| Kenny & the Dragon | 
 enlarge | Creator: Tony Diterlizzi
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Category: Book
List Price: $15.99
Buy New: $4.28
You Save: $11.71 (73%)
New (48) Used (10) from $3.85
Avg. Customer Rating:  29 reviews
Sales Rank: 20282
Media: Hardcover
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 160
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 8.6 x 5.8 x 0.8
ISBN: 1416939776
EAN: 9781416939771
ASIN: 1416939776
Publication Date: August 5, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: BRAND NEW COPY, NO UGLY REMAINDER MARKS.
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Product Description
What do you do when your new best buddy has been designated a scourge by the community and marked for imminent extermination? Just ask Kenny Rabbit. When the simple folks in the sleepy little village of Roundbrook catch wind that there's a dragon running loose in the countryside, they get the wrong idea and the stage is set for a fight to the death. So it's up to Kenny to give his neighbors front-row seats to one of the best-known battles in history -- the legendary showdown between St. George and the dragon -- without losing a friend in the fray.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 24 more reviews...
 Going crackers for Grahame September 14, 2008
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
In this charming book for young readers, a little rabbit named Kenny befriends a dragon, and then has to convince the terrified villagers that this particular wyrm has no plans to put them or their crops on the menu.
The dragon lived on Shepard's Hill
Just near the Parrish Creek
Young Kenny Rabbit ventured near
So he could sneak a peek
Grahame was the dragon's name
Like crackers with an "e"
He and Kenny soon were friends
And bonded happily
But far too soon the news got out
Spread by the town naysayer
The King issued a summons for
His trusted dragon slayer
So what on earth can Kenny do?
Is Grahame to be slain?
The rabbit has to find a way
To stop the hate campaign
According to the English tale
St. George defeats his dragon
But hopefully this time around
There won't be a toe tag on
Told in simple language and beautifully illustrated, this book would be fun reading for the 8 to 10 age group. It emphasizes the benefits of reading and creative thinking, the dangers of jumping to conclusions, while stressing the importance of a support network of family and friends.
(Note: I did think it rather strange that a rabbit who runs a farm and lives near a village of talking animals manages to own a flock of non-talking sheep, but I'll put that down to artistic license and maybe some dumb sheep)
Amanda Richards, September 13, 2008
A breath of fresh air... August 6, 2008
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
Kenny and the Dragon pays homage to some of Disney's finest adventures, such as Robin Hood and the Sword in the Stone. Finely illustrated novels seem to be a thing of the past, but Tony manages to rein in that old feeling found in the illustrated novels of old, like Alice in Wonderland and the Pooh stories. The black and white spot illustrations are beautifully rendered and unmatched in today's chapter books.
The story is upbeat, funny and feel-good in nature. The climax is fun and exactly what you would expect in an animated adventure film, someone needs to pick this story up and get busy on the movie!
I only would have liked to have seen a little more adventure taking place in the middle stretch of the story.
Overall, a wonderful book for younger readers. Sure to become a classic.
 Grand Adventure October 22, 2008
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
This book is both written and illustrated by Tony DiTerlizzi. This is a fantastic story of a young bibliophile named Kenny. Kenny has always felt a little on the outside - he loves books, and his pursuit of knowledge is almost relentless. At school when he has to do presentations the other students become bored and have even fallen asleep. Then his life changes drastically for his father finds a dragon in his pastures on their farm property. Kenny goes to investigate.
Kenny's only close friend in town is a retiree named George who owns a bookshop in town. It was from George's shop that he has borrowed a book called The King's Royal Bestiary. This book had a section on dragons so Kenny took it with him when he went to investigate the dragon his father found. The dragon was not at all what he expected. First the dragon's name is Grahame, and Grahame loves books, poetry music and dessert.
Kenny wants George and Grahame to meet but something gets in the way. The town finds out about the dragon, and The King has commissioned his champion to kill the beast. Kenny must find a way to save his friend.
This is a great adventure. Kenny is a smart young boy who loves books. He also loves adventure and he faces a battle. DiTerlizzi has created a wonderful story. It would be nice to meet Kenny again in further adventures.
 Fun Enough To Keep You Reading But Nothing Original To Be Found September 2, 2008
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
Reading a children's book like KENNY AND THE DRAGON helps harken one back to their days of kid fantasies filled with fire-breathers, swords, distressed damsels, and the bonds of brotherhood/friendship. But herein lay a distinct problem for this book, too: originality.
Having the look and feel of Peter and the Dragon or The Adventures of Brer Rabbit (or combining the two), this soft bedtime story lacks anything new and rehashes old themes; you could simply pick up a copy of the aforementioned books and get the same -- or better -- story. Not that kids would or should care but as an adult who might read this to their children, if you're looking for something new and exciting, it won't be this book.
The themes, however old, make this one a winner though. Although the threat of death looms in the background, it is never realized nor spattered across the pages, meaning that kids of all ages will enjoy it. It also touches on family, friendship, bullies, and doing the right thing regardless of your feelings.
The illustrations are another winner. Finely portrayed and exquisitely rendered, each image was crisp and wonderfully presented (all in black-and-white).
It was also interesting to see author Tony DiTerlizzi put in references to other, real-life novels that both the main characters love (The Wind in the Willows, etc.).
A well-rounded story with enough thematic tension and great illustrations to keep one reading, but not enough to make it ultimately memorable.
Courtesy of Teens Read Too September 3, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Kenny Rabbit has always been a little different. While most in the tiny farming town of Roundbrook are, indeed, farmers, he is a perpetual bookworm and dreamer, always with one fanciful notion or another in his head. But now it appears that he may be just a little too different for the citizens of Roundbrook - after all, who on earth has a dragon for a best friend?
When the villagers learn of the dragon running loose over the countryside, they immediately designate it a scourge and mark it for imminent extermination, to be carried out by a dragon-slayer! Can Kenny figure out a way to make the villagers see the truth? Can he save his best friend?
KENNY & THE DRAGON is a touching tale of friendship that draws inventively from the classic story of St. George and the dragon. Kenny Rabbit is a protagonist you can't help but root for, and the illustrations in this book are simply adorable. While the prose in KENNY & THE DRAGON is a little cumbersome at times, it is not enough to detract from the charm of the tale, and the lessons taught are an effortless part of the story.
Children will be drawn in by the unique and lovable characters of Kenny Rabbit, Grahame the dragon, and George himself, and take away heartfelt lessons of courage, friendship, and diversity.
Reviewed by: Rebecca Wells
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