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Matthew's Dragon
Matthew can't believe his eyes! Coming from the pages of his favorite book is a mysterious green glow. Suddenly, a tiny green dragon appears -- and with a touch of his magic golden claw, Matthew is as small as he is! Off they go, battling the monstrous cat next door and munching on giant tomatoes. And as dawn approaches, Matthew takes flight on the wings of his new best friend. Flying high above the clouds with hundreds of other beautiful dragons, it's an adventure he'll never forget.
32 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1991
110 people want to read
About the author
Susan Cooper
133 books2,465 followersSusan Cooper's latest book is the YA novel "Ghost Hawk" (2013)
Susan Cooper was born in 1935, and grew up in England's Buckinghamshire, an area that was green countryside then but has since become part of Greater London. As a child, she loved to read, as did her younger brother, who also became a writer. After attending Oxford, where she became the first woman to ever edit that university's newspaper, Cooper worked as a reporter and feature writer for London's Sunday Times; her first boss was James Bond creator Ian Fleming.
Cooper wrote her first book for young readers in response to a publishing house competition; "Over Sea, Under Stone" would later form the basis for her critically acclaimed five-book fantasy sequence, "The Dark Is Rising." The fourth book in the series, "The Grey King," won the Newbery Medal in 1976. By that time, Susan Cooper had been living in America for 13 years, having moved to marry her first husband, an American professor, and was stepmother to three children and the mother of two.
Cooper went on to write other well-received novels, including "The Boggart" (and its sequel "The Boggart and the Monster"), "King of Shadows", and "Victory," as well as several picture books for young readers with illustrators such as Ashley Bryan and Warwick Hutton. She has also written books for adults, as well as plays and Emmy-nominated screenplays, many in collaboration with the actor Hume Cronyn, whom she married in 1996. Hume Cronyn died in 2003 and Ms. Cooper now lives in Marshfield MA. When Cooper is not working, she enjoys playing piano, gardening, and traveling.
Recent books include the collaborative project "The Exquisite Corpse Adventure" and her biography of Jack Langstaff titled "The Magic Maker." Her newest book is "Ghost Hawk."
Visit her Facebook pages: www.facebook.com/SusanCooperFanPage
www.facebook.com/GhostHawkBySusanCooper
Susan Cooper was born in 1935, and grew up in England's Buckinghamshire, an area that was green countryside then but has since become part of Greater London. As a child, she loved to read, as did her younger brother, who also became a writer. After attending Oxford, where she became the first woman to ever edit that university's newspaper, Cooper worked as a reporter and feature writer for London's Sunday Times; her first boss was James Bond creator Ian Fleming.
Cooper wrote her first book for young readers in response to a publishing house competition; "Over Sea, Under Stone" would later form the basis for her critically acclaimed five-book fantasy sequence, "The Dark Is Rising." The fourth book in the series, "The Grey King," won the Newbery Medal in 1976. By that time, Susan Cooper had been living in America for 13 years, having moved to marry her first husband, an American professor, and was stepmother to three children and the mother of two.
Cooper went on to write other well-received novels, including "The Boggart" (and its sequel "The Boggart and the Monster"), "King of Shadows", and "Victory," as well as several picture books for young readers with illustrators such as Ashley Bryan and Warwick Hutton. She has also written books for adults, as well as plays and Emmy-nominated screenplays, many in collaboration with the actor Hume Cronyn, whom she married in 1996. Hume Cronyn died in 2003 and Ms. Cooper now lives in Marshfield MA. When Cooper is not working, she enjoys playing piano, gardening, and traveling.
Recent books include the collaborative project "The Exquisite Corpse Adventure" and her biography of Jack Langstaff titled "The Magic Maker." Her newest book is "Ghost Hawk."
Visit her Facebook pages: www.facebook.com/SusanCooperFanPage
www.facebook.com/GhostHawkBySusanCooper
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
November 9, 2014
I haven't given a 5 to a children's book in a while. An excellent little story about a boy, a talking dragon, and the power and importance of stories. It took us a few days to get through--more text-heavy than we're used to...plus toddler twins is synonymous with exhaustion. But that also gave us something to look forward to at bedtime.
June 10, 2024
Tucked into bed one night after his mother reads him a dragon story—his favorite kind!—Matthew finds himself caught up in a magical adventure when one of the dragons from his storybook comes alive. Together he and his new dragon friend, shrunk down into tiny versions of themselves, head out into the moonlit night, fleeing and then hiding from the neighbor's cat, before taking off into the night sky for an enchanted flight with all of the dragons which populate the stories Matthew loves so well...
Author/illustrator team Susan Cooper and Jos. A. Smith, who would go on to collaborate on the 1993 Christmas picture book Danny and the Kings , first worked together in 1991, on Matthew's Dragon. The narrative is engaging, and is full of the kind of story elements—the nighttime adventure, when one should be in bed; the storybook character who comes alive, and steps out of his book; the magical creature who becomes a friend and playmate; the child who shrinks to a miniature size, and has dangerous experiences—that young people enjoy. Cooper weaves all these elements together into a story that feels both natural and enchanted. Her tale is complemented by Smith's artwork, which is colorful and immediate, drawing young readers into the adventure. My only critique of the tale is that the cat adversary is depicted as mean for the sake of it—a true villain—which does not accord with my own views. But leaving that one element aside, I did enjoy this picture book, and would recommend it to young dragon lovers who dream of encountering their own draconite adventure.
Author/illustrator team Susan Cooper and Jos. A. Smith, who would go on to collaborate on the 1993 Christmas picture book Danny and the Kings , first worked together in 1991, on Matthew's Dragon. The narrative is engaging, and is full of the kind of story elements—the nighttime adventure, when one should be in bed; the storybook character who comes alive, and steps out of his book; the magical creature who becomes a friend and playmate; the child who shrinks to a miniature size, and has dangerous experiences—that young people enjoy. Cooper weaves all these elements together into a story that feels both natural and enchanted. Her tale is complemented by Smith's artwork, which is colorful and immediate, drawing young readers into the adventure. My only critique of the tale is that the cat adversary is depicted as mean for the sake of it—a true villain—which does not accord with my own views. But leaving that one element aside, I did enjoy this picture book, and would recommend it to young dragon lovers who dream of encountering their own draconite adventure.
November 14, 2022
This is a story about a boy who goes on an adventure in his own front yard with a dragon. They eat tomatoes together and run from the neighbor’s cat after shrinking to the size of a mouse. This was one of my absolute favorite books as a child. I wanted to read it to my child now that I’m a parent, and we enjoyed the book. It is a bit of an adventure which is what I enjoy about it. It is perfect for children obsessed with dragons as I was when I was young. I plan to keep it in our collection of books simply because it is a fun read and it gives perspective of what it is like to be small.
October 9, 2017
Lovely story line & amazing illustrations.
October 23, 2024
One of my son’s favorites when he was young, I read this one to cross off a prompt on my reading challenge. It was quite nostalgic to read again!
#popsugarreadingchallenge2024 (prompt 23 - A book that features dragons)
#popsugarreadingchallenge2024 (prompt 23 - A book that features dragons)
January 8, 2016
If stories have ever come to life for you in your imagination, I mean really come to life, you will appreciate what happens to Matthew in this delightful children's story.
February 19, 2016
Advanced text for an easy reader children's picture book, the illustrations are lovely. I especially like the one where the dragon is biting into a cherry tomato.
January 1, 2013
The picture of the small dragon eating the tomato alone is worth buying this book.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews