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The Dragon Machine
For a long time, dragons were ignored and overlooked . . . justlike George. But one rainy Thursday, lonely George sees his first dragon. From that moment on, George's new friends follow him everywhere. They get him into all sorts of trouble, too. The dragons need to find their way home before they're noticed by other people, and George is the only one who can get them there. A child's imagination is the gateway to magic and freedom in this beautiful story from the creators of The Tin Forest.
32 pages, Paperback
First published February 28, 2003
6 people are currently reading
160 people want to read
About the author
Helen Ward
105 books34 followersHelen Ward won the first Walker Prize for Children’s Illustration and twice won the British National Art Library Award. She has also been short-listed for the 2003 Kate Greenaway Medal. She lives in Gloucestershire, England.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
February 11, 2012
It is a rainy Thursday when George notices a dragon. He soon encounters more and more. No one seems to notice the dragons, just as people don't seem to notice George either. The dragons are everywhere, "Dragons perched on telephone wires and lurked in the trash cans." The trouble really begins when George starts to feed them! The dragons become so troublesome that George has to start apologizing for the trouble they are causing. In search of a solution, George takes a trip to the library and gathers very useful information from the Encyclopedia of Dragons. It is there that he finds a map that will help him build a dragon machine that will help him take the dragons back where they belong. He flies this machine through the night sky into the wilderness where he crashes. He awakens to find that the dragons are gone and he becomes lonely. His parents finally discover that he is gone and go in search of George to bring him and the machine back home. Once he is home, he is no longer igonored or overlooked. To celebrate they bake him a cake and give him a dog, or is it really a dog?
I would recommend this book for Kindergarten-Grade 4. For K-2 it should probably be a read aloud. The use of color in the paintings reflect the emotions of this little boy. They tend to be dark and gloomy and somewhat faded. The creatures are mischievous and George seems lost in most of the illustrations. This book is a little disturbing in that it takes his parents a while for them to notice that he is gone. The feelings of isolation and loneliness make it a bit too depressing.
I would recommend this book for Kindergarten-Grade 4. For K-2 it should probably be a read aloud. The use of color in the paintings reflect the emotions of this little boy. They tend to be dark and gloomy and somewhat faded. The creatures are mischievous and George seems lost in most of the illustrations. This book is a little disturbing in that it takes his parents a while for them to notice that he is gone. The feelings of isolation and loneliness make it a bit too depressing.
February 3, 2017
Jungian head-shrinkers would love this metaphoric fable. I didn't, and I don't imagine most small children, being the innocently literal-minded beasties that they are, would either.
November 8, 2025
First book I’m teaching my year 2 class in English! I get to teach them about dragoons!
January 29, 2018
George is the only one who can see the overlooked and ignored dragons that twine around the ankles and sewer grates around him. That doesn't mean he knows how to take care of them, though! When the dragons become too much, George has to lead them home. And that's when his real adventure takes off.
Ward easily captures the everyday magic of childhood and turns it into an adventure that will delight readers so long as they are old enough to follow along with the illustrations. The traditional style and writing cadence makes it an easy book to read aloud and it stays low-energy enough to be a good bedtime story. I'd recommend it for ages 3 and up as the muted colors don't hold an infant's attention well and some ability to connect words with pictures will help them enjoy the book more.
Ward easily captures the everyday magic of childhood and turns it into an adventure that will delight readers so long as they are old enough to follow along with the illustrations. The traditional style and writing cadence makes it an easy book to read aloud and it stays low-energy enough to be a good bedtime story. I'd recommend it for ages 3 and up as the muted colors don't hold an infant's attention well and some ability to connect words with pictures will help them enjoy the book more.
March 17, 2022
I loved this book. It was whimsical and cute, and dealt with how we feel when we think we are overlooked. The illustrations were gorgeous. The language was a bit difficult, but it was always possible to work out the meaning; I think it's good for children to be introduced to difficult words from a young age. I think the storyline might have been lost on the littler children, but they had so much fun finding the dragons, they didn't mind!
I used the online version posted by The Scottish Book Trust, and I introduced it with some hidden picture activities.
I used the online version posted by The Scottish Book Trust, and I introduced it with some hidden picture activities.
September 27, 2019
Meh. It had lots of potential, but there was a side story that was a distraction and completely underdeveloped. The little boy is not really noticeable and at the end he is very noticeable, but there is nothing in any other part of the book that talks about his difficulty being noticed and how it has hindered or frustrated his life. That’s it. It’s mentioned only those two times. So disappointed because the robot dragon idea was so cool!
November 22, 2019
This was adorable because...well...dragons! But also the premise of helping the dragons find their way home and also going to the library and researching the do's and don't's for dealing with dragons.
May 7, 2022
This book is about George, a boy who is often ignored. Mischievous dragons cause trouble for George until he leads them away.
The ending of this book is great and children will love it.
I've seen this used in a school as the focus of a unit of work. This book would be good for KS1
The ending of this book is great and children will love it.
I've seen this used in a school as the focus of a unit of work. This book would be good for KS1
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 2, 2018
I bought this because I loved the cover and I loved the sound of the story. On the whole it is magical and it is good concept. The illustrations are beautiful too.
September 22, 2018
Great illustrated children’s book, with thought provoking themes
July 23, 2019
Sweet though a bit strange
July 27, 2019
I liked the story and most of the illustrations especially the dragons but a lot of the ones of the boy just seemed off to me.
November 24, 2020
Can't beat a book about dragons for a young boy.
March 14, 2017
The boys just loved this book. The illustrations are nice and it has a good flow.
June 20, 2015
Summary
George is a little boy who is lonely until he starts seeing dragons everywhere. When the dragons become a problem, he builds a machine to take them home to the wilderness.
The art is okay, but the story and characters make up for it only because they bring to mind a story. I want to tell you that story.
Once there was a little boy named Evan. Evan had a very active imagination. He made up little men, kinda the size of the Brownies (picture here played by Kevin Pollack and Rick Overton) from the movie Willow. These men had no names, but they acted out every movie that Evan saw, every book Evan read. The Brownies drove time machines, rode horses, fought Dracula, and solved mysteries. Over time, the Brownies moved out of these pre-formed plotlines and acted on their own. Evan wrote down what they did, laughed at their jokes and was upset when one of them was hurt or died (as the plot required).
The problem came when the Brownies started to come when Evan did not think about them. This was most horrible when it happened at church, because Evan would not pay attention to the preacher and would get into trouble. He could not explain to his parents about the Brownies because that was silly. As Evan grew up he made a decision and abandoned the Brownies. They would attempt to crawl back in his mind at church, but he would not pay attention, would not write down their stories or even pay attention to what they did. The preacher and his stories about God were the only stories that mattered. The Brownies were a distraction and the devil sent distractions, the preacher said. Evan devoted his mind to the church, got baptized and left the Brownies behind for good.
A while later, Evan got in an accident. Nothing serious, but he started questioning. Why did God let that happen? Why did God let anything bad happen, particularly in His name? The Crusades, the Spanish Inquisition, slavery: all done in one god’s name or another. Evan started to think that maybe God was just as made up as all his little Brownie friends. If that was true, maybe his little Brownies were not so bad after all. So he called them back.
But the Brownies would not come back. Evan had pushed them away, far back in his mind and they would not tell him wonderful stories anymore. Evan tried and tried, reading more and watching more and looking for the types of stories his Brownie friends had made for him, but he could not find them inside or out. Then Evan just started writing and writing, hoping to make what he had lost. He has found some peace in the writing, but every day he reads and watches and writes, always looking for his little Brownie friends to tell him one last great story.
George is a little boy who is lonely until he starts seeing dragons everywhere. When the dragons become a problem, he builds a machine to take them home to the wilderness.
The art is okay, but the story and characters make up for it only because they bring to mind a story. I want to tell you that story.
Once there was a little boy named Evan. Evan had a very active imagination. He made up little men, kinda the size of the Brownies (picture here played by Kevin Pollack and Rick Overton) from the movie Willow. These men had no names, but they acted out every movie that Evan saw, every book Evan read. The Brownies drove time machines, rode horses, fought Dracula, and solved mysteries. Over time, the Brownies moved out of these pre-formed plotlines and acted on their own. Evan wrote down what they did, laughed at their jokes and was upset when one of them was hurt or died (as the plot required).
The problem came when the Brownies started to come when Evan did not think about them. This was most horrible when it happened at church, because Evan would not pay attention to the preacher and would get into trouble. He could not explain to his parents about the Brownies because that was silly. As Evan grew up he made a decision and abandoned the Brownies. They would attempt to crawl back in his mind at church, but he would not pay attention, would not write down their stories or even pay attention to what they did. The preacher and his stories about God were the only stories that mattered. The Brownies were a distraction and the devil sent distractions, the preacher said. Evan devoted his mind to the church, got baptized and left the Brownies behind for good.
A while later, Evan got in an accident. Nothing serious, but he started questioning. Why did God let that happen? Why did God let anything bad happen, particularly in His name? The Crusades, the Spanish Inquisition, slavery: all done in one god’s name or another. Evan started to think that maybe God was just as made up as all his little Brownie friends. If that was true, maybe his little Brownies were not so bad after all. So he called them back.
But the Brownies would not come back. Evan had pushed them away, far back in his mind and they would not tell him wonderful stories anymore. Evan tried and tried, reading more and watching more and looking for the types of stories his Brownie friends had made for him, but he could not find them inside or out. Then Evan just started writing and writing, hoping to make what he had lost. He has found some peace in the writing, but every day he reads and watches and writes, always looking for his little Brownie friends to tell him one last great story.
February 14, 2017
Nobody notices George and nobody notices the dragons he can see all around him. He likes the dragons but when they get him into trouble by breaking things George realises he needs to do something. He goes to the the library to do some research (beautiful illustration of a dragon in a library at this point of the story) and finds out where they should live. He builds a fantastic dragon shaped machine and leads the dragons home and then is found and taken home himself, no longer feeling invisible.
A lovely story with illustrations that lift it out of the ordinary, I'm very happy to add it to my ever growing collection of dragon books!
A lovely story with illustrations that lift it out of the ordinary, I'm very happy to add it to my ever growing collection of dragon books!
February 15, 2017
George, the main character, found himself very lonely until he began to see dragons everywhere. George loved his dragons but the dragons began getting George into trouble so he decided to build a machine to get rid of them. This book was very interesting to me because I felt that it was a very random topic. However, I ended up really enjoying this book because of the underlying message that I picked up from it: it's okay to be different and love other people because they are different. I think this is a very important message for children because they all work so hard to fit in when they really don't need too. The right friends will accept you for who you are. This was a great book!
October 21, 2010
The Dragon Machine is reminiscent of Where the Wild Thing Are in the way that George feels ignored and unnoticed so he finds friendship with dragons and escapes in a dragon machine to "a great wilderness, ignored and overlooked." The book allows children to explore their imaginations while sorting through their emotions. George feels invisible in the eyes of adults so he begins to "see" dragons everywhere - "perched on the telephone wires and lurked in the trash cans." And then the dragons begin to cause mischief - much like children who feel neglected. George resolves to take the dragons away in a machine he creates. Eventually he feels "an emptiness all around and inside" in this great wilderness while his parents feel the same emptiness when they notice George is missing. George and "his dreams of dragons" return home where he is welcomed and "no longer ignored or overlooked." There is even a large celebration with a dog as a present. And George continues using his imagination when he notices something unusual about his dog - the dog's tail is a dragon's tail. Children between the ages 4-6 will enjoy finding the "ignored and overlooked" dragons cleverly illustrated in the pictures.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 10, 2011
Dragons... dragons everywhere. George, the main character in this book, discovers there are dragons everywhere. They tease a cat, they sink the water lilies in the pond and eat stale cookies and smelly cheese. The follow George everywhere and cause some trouble. He goes to the library and finds a map of the place where dragons belong. He constructs a machine and takes them there. George's mom and dad look all over for him and finally find him and give him a dog as a present. The dog, of course, had something unusual...
The story could have been a fun story, but unfortunately it wasn't. George is really a very lonely boy and no one seems to take notice of him. Why is it that a kid have to go to extreme things to get his parent's attention? That is the message I got from the book and why I just gave it two stars. Too bad, the illustrations were pretty good, I loved the faces of the dragons.
The story could have been a fun story, but unfortunately it wasn't. George is really a very lonely boy and no one seems to take notice of him. Why is it that a kid have to go to extreme things to get his parent's attention? That is the message I got from the book and why I just gave it two stars. Too bad, the illustrations were pretty good, I loved the faces of the dragons.
November 28, 2018
The phrase 'George and the Dragon' conjures up all sorts of images but I doubt one in which George is a lonely child and the dragon a creature which remains harmless and largely unseen. In the second collaboration between Ward and Anderson (see The Tin Forest), George is a young boy whose vivid imagination allows him to see that which no one else can - that our world is full of dragons. In order to save them from disappearing forever, George builds his own mechanical dragon and takes them to a place where they will be safe and live on for all time.
Children will enjoy finding all the little dragons on the different pages and siding with George in these discoveries whilst the adults in his world are too busy to notice. There is much here to reflect on with regards to the power and loss of imagination too.
Children will enjoy finding all the little dragons on the different pages and siding with George in these discoveries whilst the adults in his world are too busy to notice. There is much here to reflect on with regards to the power and loss of imagination too.
January 13, 2010
This is a beautifully illustrated book about a boy named George who notices naughty dragons around him in his everyday life. The boy plans and constructs a flying machine that resembles a dragon in order to lead the dragons back to their own land. While the boy is off on this adventure, his formerly neglectful fellow humans decide they missed him and "he was no longer ignored or overlooked."
I think the tale was a bit too abstract and fanciful for my four year old boy. He was bothered by the unrealistic design of the machine and by the fact that the boy seemed to have fallen from the sky without coming to any harm. All in all, he wanted less fluffy talk about George's lonely feelings and more descriptions of what was occurring. It may be a fine book for other children but it was not a favorite here, even though my boy generally loves dragons.
I think the tale was a bit too abstract and fanciful for my four year old boy. He was bothered by the unrealistic design of the machine and by the fact that the boy seemed to have fallen from the sky without coming to any harm. All in all, he wanted less fluffy talk about George's lonely feelings and more descriptions of what was occurring. It may be a fine book for other children but it was not a favorite here, even though my boy generally loves dragons.
March 10, 2011
Published in 2005 by Puffin
Interest Level: 1st-3rd Grade
This book is about a boy that loves dragons and notices them everywhere. The dragons begin to follow th boy and he makes a machine to guide them; then one day the dragons leave him and he does not see them again but receives a dog that has something strange about him. This book is paced very quickly and there are few elements to distinguish it as an international book, but the illustrations and typeface seem to fit this book perfectly. The fanciful stance of this story is somewhat overstated and simplifies a story that could have had much more depth. I think comparing this to something like "How to Train a Dragon" would be interesting, since many students may connect more with the film. I think there are quite a few comparison points that students could connect to through this picture book.
Interest Level: 1st-3rd Grade
This book is about a boy that loves dragons and notices them everywhere. The dragons begin to follow th boy and he makes a machine to guide them; then one day the dragons leave him and he does not see them again but receives a dog that has something strange about him. This book is paced very quickly and there are few elements to distinguish it as an international book, but the illustrations and typeface seem to fit this book perfectly. The fanciful stance of this story is somewhat overstated and simplifies a story that could have had much more depth. I think comparing this to something like "How to Train a Dragon" would be interesting, since many students may connect more with the film. I think there are quite a few comparison points that students could connect to through this picture book.
Read
June 30, 2012 This is a beautifully written and illustrated book. The calm green and blue hues used throughout lend a matter of fact, calming tone to this rather melancholy story of a lonely little boy named George who sees dragons everywhere he turns. No one else is aware of these dragons just as no one is aware of George. He, like the dragons, is overlooked and ignored. It is the simple, matter of fact manner in which the author describes George's observations of the dragons that is captivating, almost mesmerizing. His diligence in finding a way to send the dragons home is fantastical yet told in ordinary language, as if routine and unremarkable, much like George feels. Readers must look beyond the lack of warmth and affection that George experiences, to appreciate the power of a child's imagination that is the theme.
April 2, 2013
George sees dragons everywhere he looks and thus begins to feed them stale cookies and smelly cheese. The dragons start to follow George around more and more, causing trouble for him. To help the dragons and restore peace to his life, George builds a dragon machine and leads the dragons to a new wilderness far away.
"Dragon Machine" is appropriate for ages 3+.
This book was very simple. I felt like there was not a lot of complexity to the story, but again, perhaps that is essential to appeal to three-year-olds. I think that young children will like the whimsical dragon illustrations, and enjoy the thought of flying to a land in a dragon machine. I also think young children will enjoy looking for the dragons on each page as they follow George around and cause trouble for him.
"Dragon Machine" is appropriate for ages 3+.
This book was very simple. I felt like there was not a lot of complexity to the story, but again, perhaps that is essential to appeal to three-year-olds. I think that young children will like the whimsical dragon illustrations, and enjoy the thought of flying to a land in a dragon machine. I also think young children will enjoy looking for the dragons on each page as they follow George around and cause trouble for him.
October 14, 2009
Genre: Fantasy
Copyright: 2005
George feels alone and overlooked. One day he sees something in the rain. It is the first time he sees a dragon, and it certainly isn't the last. George befriends the dragons, but soon, they become more than he can handle, and George must handle it on his own.
"The Dragon Machine" is a cute story. The illustrations are funny, and the text even has a "medieval" feel to it. This book's conclusion is satisfying and tackles the issue of loneliness. I would recommend this book for young readers and anyone who has a soft spot for fantasy.
Copyright: 2005
George feels alone and overlooked. One day he sees something in the rain. It is the first time he sees a dragon, and it certainly isn't the last. George befriends the dragons, but soon, they become more than he can handle, and George must handle it on his own.
"The Dragon Machine" is a cute story. The illustrations are funny, and the text even has a "medieval" feel to it. This book's conclusion is satisfying and tackles the issue of loneliness. I would recommend this book for young readers and anyone who has a soft spot for fantasy.
October 20, 2009
This book has the most magical illustrations (and a pretty font, too). The story is very simple, told in simple language, about a lonely boy who makes his own friends with the ignored (imaginary?) dragons around him. Of course, he has to give them up, and save them, but that leads to him being more noticed - either because his absence causes his parents to realize what they're missing (the literal reading), or because he simply grows up (a more metaphorical one).
Seriously, check this book out from the library and then go buy it.
Seriously, check this book out from the library and then go buy it.
December 8, 2015
Dragons were not wanted to be noticed so George built a giant dragon machine that he flew and led to the land they belong to and can be noticed. George as the main character changes from being an unnoticed kid to everyone being excited when he returns. The illustrations did a good job in showing the setting George and the dragons were in. The text also help relate to show like that he was flying the machine with all the dragons following behind. this is a good book to use in the classroom because it shows the creativity and imagination a child can have.
Read
September 14, 2009I chose this for a first week of school read-aloud for 3rd grade because it has very beautiful illustrations, also because the other book we read was The Library Dragon and this library seems to have a thing for dragons. We have two stuffed dragons at the circ desk.
One class used this book to compare and contrast illustrations that make a book seem serious (this book) with illustrations that make a book seem funny (The Library Dragon).
One class used this book to compare and contrast illustrations that make a book seem serious (this book) with illustrations that make a book seem funny (The Library Dragon).
January 1, 2011
This magical book introduced me to the work of Helen Ward and Wayne Anderson. We got it originally from the library a number of times before we decided to look for a secondhand copy online. South Africa is not an easy place to find books.
The illustrations capture the solitude of George's world, glimmers of colour among the mostly gray background. The burning curiosity of a child is the key to this beautiful tale worth reading over and over again.
The illustrations capture the solitude of George's world, glimmers of colour among the mostly gray background. The burning curiosity of a child is the key to this beautiful tale worth reading over and over again.
December 14, 2013
George sees the dragons around everywhere that no one else notices. The problems begin when they start to follow him around. George visits the library to learn more about dragons. He finds a book that tells him there is a land where the dragons are supposed to live. So George builds a dragon machine and fly's himself there and the dragons follow. He gets to the dragon land but he crashes in the process and that is where his parents find him.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews