Ace Dragon Ltd.

by Russell Hoban, Quentin Blake (Illustrator)

From renowned picture book creators Russell Hoban and Quentin Blake, the story of Ace Dragon LTD. — who isn’t so limited after all.

When John notices a manhole cover with the words ACE DRAGON LTD. written across it, he can't help but investigate what lies beneath. And so begins an unusual friendship between a boy and a dragon named Ace, who wears two pairs of Wellington boots and loves skywriting with fire, flying stunts to the moon, and turning gold into straw. With so many talents, John wonders if, unlike his moniker, Ace really isn't so limited after all!

Genres: Picture Books, Dragons, Fantasy, Childrens, Humor, Adventure, Friendship

48 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1980

About the author

Russell Conwell Hoban was an American expatriate writer. His works span many genres, including fantasy, science fiction, mainstream fiction, magical realism, poetry, and children's books. He lived in London, England, from 1969 until his death. (Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Jasmine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I WANT A LTD DRAGON IN MY NEGHBOURHOOD.

[Sails and Scales · Rating 4 out of 5]

While John is walking down the street one day, he hears a noise and discovers the Ace Dragon LTD. After learning what LTD means, the voice he hears tells him that it can make fire come out of its mouth, fly, and spin straw into gold, but before any of that can happen, John has to fight it. He meets up with the dragon and they fight. John wins, so John and Ace Dragon LTD. go flying and skywriting together. They get stuck on a golden moon, but luckily Ace is able to spin gold into straw so that they can use it as a soft landing to get home.

The book is delightfully British. With mentions of the Underground, petrol, and Wellington boots, young American readers might not be familiar with the terms, but are likely to be familiar with the illustration style for Quentin Blake, best known for his illustrations of Roald Dahl books. Both the illustrations and whimsical story are likely to remind readers of Dahl’s works. While the book will probably be difficult for younger readers, readers who are old enough to enjoy the depictions of the way a child plays and the British nature of the book will appreciate what it has to offer.

[Rose Rosetree · Rating 5 out of 5]

Right from the gorgeous and playfully illustrated cover, you can tell this book is about a boy and a dragon. That it's very much a kid's book. And that there will likely be laughing.

Our Goodreads Blurber has given a magnificent summary of the plot. Here's the best part:

When John notices a manhole cover with the words ACE DRAGON LTD. written across it, he can't help but investigate what lies beneath.

And so begins an unusual friendship between a boy and a dragon named Ace, who wears two pairs of Wellington boots and loves skywriting with fire, flying stunts to the moon, and turning gold into straw.

See what I mean by humor? Turn gold into straw?????

AND HERE'S ONE MORE SAMPLE OF IMAGINATIVE HUMOR

How do the two main characters meet in person. The dragon tells him:

"Take the Underground to Dragonham East. I'll meet you there."

John said, "How shall I know you?"

The voice said, "I'll be wearing two pairs of Wellingtons."

How shall I know you??? Cute.

FIVE STAR delightful, that's this book. With text by Russell Hoban and illustrations by Quentin Blake.

[Rena Sherwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

I lived in England for five years, three months and three weeks. I can assure you that dragons wearing Wellies are an everyday sight. You might have read about "fatbergs" in London's sewers. That's not really an accumulation of all the chip pans poured down the drain. It's dragon poo. They're so polite that not only do they always let children with toy swords win play-fights, but they never use public lavatories in case they clog up the drains.

And there have been so many adventures with dragons, that when English kids go home for tea, their tales of what happened are ignored. Shame, really.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was sweet and fun, and I'm always happy to have more picture books with dragons in, but I find myself judging it, perhaps unfairly, for not inspiring the paroxysms of laughter occasioned by the author & illustrator's other collaboration, the Tom & Captain Najork books.

That said, this one might work well for a story time read-aloud, whereas Tom & Captain Najork are definitely lap books for kids with a v. particular sense of humor.

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot fault this book. It has an awesome story, awesome illustrations and a very Ace Dragon. SO GOOD. I really love random things happening to people who deal with them in a completely matter of fact way.

[Sarah A · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an awesome fun book teaching kids that they can do anything they put their minds to. Beautiful illustrations and nice clear fun tale.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love old books. A dragon wears boots and becomes friends with a boy who seemingly does not have useful skills. But lo and behold, spinning gold into straw actually comes in handy!

[Rachel Abercrombie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very fun and creative and silly.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is called "Dragon y Cia" in Spanish, which is the version I own and have read to my kids. Fun story about John and his new pal, a dragon who lives down in a subway station.

[Juliana Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

When John heard KLONK coming from a manhole cover with the words “ACE DRAGON LTD” written on it, he investigated further. Under the cover was a dragon named Ace. The dragon said he was ‘limited’ because he could only do some things, not everything. The dragon invited John to go flying with him if he could fight him in a battle. John and Ace meet in an abandoned field. John won two battles in a row so the dragon took him flying. The wrote their names in the sky but soon started running out of petrol so they landed on a small golden moon. The dragon could spin gold into straw, so John cut off pieces of the moon with his sword and the dragon made a huge straw mattress. Then they jumped off the moon with their straw mattress and landed back into the abandoned lot without getting hurt. Before leaving, John told Ace that he was not limited and they both went home for supper.
http://julianaleewriter.com/books-ali...

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

When John spots an odd-looking metal plate in the street, it leads him to a dragon and many adventures. The two agree to meet, fight, and then go flying. After much skywriting with smoke from Ace, the dragon, the dragon is out of fuel, and they must find an alternative way to get back home. Using his problem solving skills, John slices gold from the planet where they have landed, and the dragon spins it into straw which they use to fashion a large bundle to cushion their fall to earth. It's all whimsical, absurd, delightful and sure to appeal to young readers. The watercolor and ink illustrations work very well to bring the story to life, especially the scenes during which John is fighting the dragon or hacking away at the gold on the little planet. The book was first published in Great Britain.

[Arminzerella · Rating 3 out of 5]

John makes the acquaintance of Ace Dragon Ltd (limited) and after defeating him in battle (2 out of 3), is taken for a dragon-back ride through the skies, where they use fire to skywrite their names. When Ace runs out of juice, however, they find themselves trapped on a golden moon. Fortunately, Ace is able to spin gold into straw (convenient!), so they work together to create a large bale that they use as a crash pad when they plummet back to Earth. (This totally works if you set aside any physics with which you may be familiar!) Classic scribbly drawings by Quentin Blake showcase these unusual friends. A fun adventure for younger readers.

[Becky B · Rating 3 out of 5]

One day John notices a manhole cover that reads "Ace Dragon Ltd." He stomps on it three times and asks what ltd stands for. Eventually, Ace and John agree to meet for a battle (since Ace is a dragon and John has a sword). They have some fun battling and then do some flying but have a little bit of a hiccup in getting home. Together, though, they are able to make it.

I was quite surprised to see that this famous author/illustrator team had a book that took 25 years to get published in the States. The book itself is a fun tall tale-type adventure. Blake's illustrations fit the story perfectly.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will forever associate Quentin Blake with Roald Dahl, but that's not bad here - this English tale of a young boy making friends with a dragon is absurdist and unrealistic in the best Dahl-ian way. They meet through a manhole cover and the Underground, they do epic battle in an abandoned lot, they fly and sky-write their names, run out of petrol, crash-land on a moon made of gold...you get the idea.

Not really for little-little kids - the reading level is a bit like shorter Dahl books. But it's adorable.

[Jessica Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

This pairing of Hoban and Blake worked out much better, in my opinion, than it did for "Rosie's Magic Horse". It's silly and strange also, but the story had a much better flow here than it did in "Rosie's". A young boy, John, stumbles upon what looks like a sewer cap that says "Ace Dragon Ltd", and when he steps on it 3 times, he gets to speak to Ace himself. They meet up, fight, fly, sky-write with fire, land on a golden moon, and finally make it back to Earth. John realizes that Ace is not so limited after all. Yet again, Blake's illustrations are top-notch.

[Lara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet and simple story of a boy who meets, battles, and befriends a wellie-wearing dragon. There isn't anything to complain about directly, I think, and it's not that I didn't like it. I did, actually (hence the 3 stars). It just was missing something to make it really memorable.

I don't know if I'd use this for a storytime. It might work for one on dragons (of course) or friendship or imagination or problem solving. But I think there are other books I'd probably choose first.

[Dimity Monroe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple, clever story paired with Quentin Blake's perfect illustrations.

" John took the Underground to Dragonham East. There he saw a dragon in Wellingtons.
The ace dragon said, 'How do you do? I'm Ace Dragon Ltd.'
John said, 'How do you do? I'm John.'
Ace and John found an abandoned lot, and got ready to fight. "


Well done you two!

[Bonnie Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was cute. John meets a dragon who can't do everything, but can fly and spin gold into straw. I mostly checked this one out for me, when I saw it in the new books section, but my 6-year-old got a kick out of it too (though I did have to explain to him a few words like the Underground and Petrol.)

[Mary Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love the imagination in this, and how it celebrates the way kids play. But I'm not completely sure they'll get the underpinning joke on Ace Dragon's name.: Ace Dragon Ltd. At the end, John says, "You know what, Ace?" Ace said, "What?" John said, "You're not so limited."

[Skye Kilaen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of course John found a dragon living under a manhole cover. Where else would you find one? And for their first meeting? A rendezvous at the Dragonham East station of the Underground. The dragon wore Wellingtons. John had a sword. And so it began.

Totally eccentric and very pleasant!

[Michael Earp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful! Sometimes we're not as LTD. as we think...

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A whimsical, jovial tale about a friendship between a boy and a dragon named Ace.

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just ridiculously good!

[Christine Turner]

This book would be best enj9oyed one on one.

[Abbey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really wanted this to be a little longer but such a great story!