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Different Dragons
Timid Ben learns how to deal with his fears when he spends the weekend with Aunt Rose and meets a big Labrador retriever named Gully.
136 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1987
1 person is currently reading
88 people want to read
About the author
Jean Little
108 books193 followersJean Little is a Canadian author, born in Taiwan. Her work has mainly consisted of children's literature, but she has also written two autobiographies: Little by Little and Stars Come Out Within. Little has been partially blind since birth as a result of scars on her cornea and is frequently accompanied by a guide dog.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
June 26, 2019
I have always loved animals and advocate for their welfare. My cats are a joy that my dear Mom shares. She regards them as her Grandchildren along with her human pair. Rural neighbours evaporated our tolerance for dogs, precipitating a serious need for by-laws. Being loud and strong by nature, they need families who are committed to eliminating or consistently curbing intrusive vocal excess, at any volume. Dogs chased deer who are invited to our property, peed on our doors, and chairs. Still, we prefer that, to whining that persists past a minute! In stories, we envision what we know: the love all animals bring.
Canadian Jean Little addressed in “Different Dragons”, 1986, fear of dogs. Ben’s Aunt introduces him to a well-mannered dog. Her Brother wants to break his son’s acute skittishness. He hates storms too. When Ben observes the formidable dog in a deeper terror than his; empathy takes over and he hugs the sweetheart. He is moved that his comfort succeeded at soothing the dear Gully. The title encompasses anxieties generally. Ben overcame several that week-end, including staying alone with his Aunt. An attitude of fear in a preposterous array, is one reason for docking a star. Jean was remiss in not stating an age early, or readers might have thought his apprehension befit a 9 year-old.
I like the subtle portrayal that overcoming one anxiety, has the domino effect of new bravery overall. I do not believe Ben would next, make that animal a pet. It added drama that they bonded, with Gully’s folks moving overseas. Point two: as my children, I would not separate from my kitties. A pet should receive the profound consideration of any adoption: for life. I balked at proposing Gully as a gift. Nonetheless, I loved the spirit of Ben’s accomplishment.
Canadian Jean Little addressed in “Different Dragons”, 1986, fear of dogs. Ben’s Aunt introduces him to a well-mannered dog. Her Brother wants to break his son’s acute skittishness. He hates storms too. When Ben observes the formidable dog in a deeper terror than his; empathy takes over and he hugs the sweetheart. He is moved that his comfort succeeded at soothing the dear Gully. The title encompasses anxieties generally. Ben overcame several that week-end, including staying alone with his Aunt. An attitude of fear in a preposterous array, is one reason for docking a star. Jean was remiss in not stating an age early, or readers might have thought his apprehension befit a 9 year-old.
I like the subtle portrayal that overcoming one anxiety, has the domino effect of new bravery overall. I do not believe Ben would next, make that animal a pet. It added drama that they bonded, with Gully’s folks moving overseas. Point two: as my children, I would not separate from my kitties. A pet should receive the profound consideration of any adoption: for life. I balked at proposing Gully as a gift. Nonetheless, I loved the spirit of Ben’s accomplishment.
December 27, 2024
This is a very sweet middle grade story! With new friendships, a mysterious trapdoor in a big old house, and themes of overcoming fears, it could make a great read-aloud for the whole family. There were times when the writing style felt almost overly simplistic, and there’s one subplot that I would have enjoyed seeing tied up a bit more, but overall I really enjoyed it and would recommend it!
I especially enjoyed how the main character’s aunt is an author, and the main character at first thinks that he could never be like the courageous heroes in stories who are defeating dragons, but by the end, he realizes that he can be brave like them—even if he has a different kind of dragon to defeat. I thought that was a fun way to tie in the theme and enjoyed the bookish aspects of that!
I especially enjoyed how the main character’s aunt is an author, and the main character at first thinks that he could never be like the courageous heroes in stories who are defeating dragons, but by the end, he realizes that he can be brave like them—even if he has a different kind of dragon to defeat. I thought that was a fun way to tie in the theme and enjoyed the bookish aspects of that!
June 14, 2023
Hamfisted amateur psychology and heavy-handed moral lessons written by someone who underestimates the intelligence, emotional depth, and clarity of children.
The primary purpose of this book is to be words on a page which children can be required to read.
The primary purpose of this book is to be words on a page which children can be required to read.
December 24, 2016
This review also appears on my blog, Read-at-Home Mom.
Ben is nervous about staying alone with his Aunt Rose while his parents are away. When she welcomes a large dog named Gully into the house for the weekend, he becomes even more worried. He doesn't want to admit to Hana, a girl his age who lives near Aunt Rose, that he is afraid of dogs, especially since Hana thinks Gully is so great, but he's also not sure he'll be able to survive sharing his living space with a dog even for just a couple of days.
In this novel, celebrated Canadian author Jean Little demonstrates a strong sense of empathy for quiet kids with big fears. Little creates a three-dimensional and believable child in Ben, and she describes his anxiety about interacting with dogs - and about taking chances in general - with great compassion. Many kids are afraid of dogs, and this book does a nice job of first validating their fears before attempting to dispel them. Ben comes to appreciate Gully on his own terms, not just because others say he must, but out of his own determination and gumption, and the result is a very satisfying story. The message - that we all have different dragons to overcome - is a perfect and necessary lesson for upper elementary school readers.
This book was first published in 1987, but it holds up quite well. There is very little reference to cultural or technological phenomena of the 80s, so it doesn't feel like an old book, and the subject matter is so universal, that it will never really stop being relevant. It has been republished as recently as 2007 (thought with an unfortunate cover sure to turn off kids who are apprehensive about dogs!), and though it is currently out of print, used copies seem plentiful online.
Different Dragons is similar in tone and style to books by Kevin Henkes, such as Junonia and The Year of Billy Miller. It may also appeal to kids who enjoy other "boys with fears" stories like the Alvin Ho and Justin Case series.
Ben is nervous about staying alone with his Aunt Rose while his parents are away. When she welcomes a large dog named Gully into the house for the weekend, he becomes even more worried. He doesn't want to admit to Hana, a girl his age who lives near Aunt Rose, that he is afraid of dogs, especially since Hana thinks Gully is so great, but he's also not sure he'll be able to survive sharing his living space with a dog even for just a couple of days.
In this novel, celebrated Canadian author Jean Little demonstrates a strong sense of empathy for quiet kids with big fears. Little creates a three-dimensional and believable child in Ben, and she describes his anxiety about interacting with dogs - and about taking chances in general - with great compassion. Many kids are afraid of dogs, and this book does a nice job of first validating their fears before attempting to dispel them. Ben comes to appreciate Gully on his own terms, not just because others say he must, but out of his own determination and gumption, and the result is a very satisfying story. The message - that we all have different dragons to overcome - is a perfect and necessary lesson for upper elementary school readers.
This book was first published in 1987, but it holds up quite well. There is very little reference to cultural or technological phenomena of the 80s, so it doesn't feel like an old book, and the subject matter is so universal, that it will never really stop being relevant. It has been republished as recently as 2007 (thought with an unfortunate cover sure to turn off kids who are apprehensive about dogs!), and though it is currently out of print, used copies seem plentiful online.
Different Dragons is similar in tone and style to books by Kevin Henkes, such as Junonia and The Year of Billy Miller. It may also appeal to kids who enjoy other "boys with fears" stories like the Alvin Ho and Justin Case series.
November 21, 2015
Ben is going to spend the weekend with his Aunt Rose. Ben's Aunt Rose is a famous author and his classmates and teacher think Ben is lucky. But Ben is afraid to leave his parents and brother to stay in a strange place with a strange lady he has never met before. In fact Ben is afraid of a lot of things, including dogs, but he does not want to tell anyone because they will call him a baby. Well, Aunt Rose turns out to be really swell and the first evening of his visit she lets him help her fix dinner and doesn't even get mad when he turns the whipped cream to butter. Then after a great dinner she surprises him with a special gift to take home with him, a big Labrador retriever. What is Ben going to do?
Find out how Ben handles his problem and in the meantime finds that everyone has different dragons to fight. A note about Jean Little - Jean Little is blind and this book written in 1986 was the first book she wrote using a talking computer named SAM.
Find out how Ben handles his problem and in the meantime finds that everyone has different dragons to fight. A note about Jean Little - Jean Little is blind and this book written in 1986 was the first book she wrote using a talking computer named SAM.
December 5, 2014
4.5 STARS
"Ben is apprehensive about staying over at his aunt rose's house while his parents are away. but with the promise of a big surprise, ben reluctantly agrees to at least give it a try. only, when the surprise arrives, it is not what ben expects at all. At the door is a labrador retriever named gully. the only problem is that ben is afraid of dogs. Dogs jump at people, bite people, and even kill people! And even though gully seems friendly, ben decides he will never be friends with a dog. but when ben finds himself alone with gully in a scary situation, he starts to rethink his fear. perhaps he will be able to survive the whole weekend at Aunt rose's with gully running around after all." (From Amazon)
I loved this book as a child and borrowed it many times from the library. Being an only child I related with Ben and also having a fear of dogs. A great book.
"Ben is apprehensive about staying over at his aunt rose's house while his parents are away. but with the promise of a big surprise, ben reluctantly agrees to at least give it a try. only, when the surprise arrives, it is not what ben expects at all. At the door is a labrador retriever named gully. the only problem is that ben is afraid of dogs. Dogs jump at people, bite people, and even kill people! And even though gully seems friendly, ben decides he will never be friends with a dog. but when ben finds himself alone with gully in a scary situation, he starts to rethink his fear. perhaps he will be able to survive the whole weekend at Aunt rose's with gully running around after all." (From Amazon)
I loved this book as a child and borrowed it many times from the library. Being an only child I related with Ben and also having a fear of dogs. A great book.
December 1, 2020
I'm currently re-reading Jean Little's books. She is a Canadian author who has been writing books for children since the 1960's. She is blind and her books center around children who are going through difficult transitions in their lives. Different Dragons is a book about a boy who has many fears: of dogs, lightening, and feels overshadowed by his older brother.
The book is really short, but has some good resolutions of the main character's dilemmas.
The book is really short, but has some good resolutions of the main character's dilemmas.
March 15, 2011
The story of Ben, a boy afraid of dogs, and a dog named Gully.
Written at about a 4-5th grade level.
Easy to read and it held the reader's interest to continue reading.
Written at about a 4-5th grade level.
Easy to read and it held the reader's interest to continue reading.
September 6, 2011
Ben is afraid of dogs then when Gully is gone his aunt went looking for him the two that were home hid under the same bed and Ben wasn't afraid of dogs anymore.Auryn 7yo
August 14, 2024
Read this novel several times back in elementary school. Have been in a reading slump for a bit and needed something familiar and quick to get out of it. This did the trick!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews