Dragon and Captain

“Hey, Pirate. What are you doing in my sandbox?” “I'm not a pirate. I'm the captain of a ship.” What is Captain doing in Dragon's sandbox? He is moping. Because he’s lost his ship. “Oh, no! I'll help you find it! Come on!” “Where are we going?” “To my cave! I know I have a map somewhere.”

Armed with a (toy watch) compass, a (paper-towel tube) telescope, and a (hand-drawn) map, Dragon and Captain set off on a great adventure. Dragon is a boy in pajamas and a dragon robe. Captain is a boy with a three-sided hat. But as the boys' imaginations take over, we see them as they see themselves and the backyard as the boys see it: a dark forest, a craggy cliff, and the immense sea. Illustrated like a comic book, this book is a fantasy-filled graphic novel for the picture book set. Young readers will be enchanted with—and parents will appreciate—the creative backyard play, in which the boys use the simplest found items and the backyard features to create an elaborate adventure. Can Dragon and Captain find the lost ship before lunch?

"The characters appeal to young children and the setting and plot will inspire children to use their imaginations to dream up their own tales. This first picture book by P.R. Allabach will make readers hope for more Dragon and Captain books." —Nancy Garhan Attebury, Children's Literature

"Like Bill Watterson's 'Calvin and Hobbes' comic strips, Dragon and Captain (Flashlight Press) is a graphic novel that moves between illustrations of real life and the active imaginations of the two boys who transform into the dragon and captain." —Lisa J. Curtis, NY Parenting

"Large, bright, colorful, engaging illustrations make this a title that will be picked up." —Sharon Turpin, pscreviews.org

"...this tale of creativity will keep your kids turning those pages until the very last word. The illustrations by Lucas Turnbloom are bld, brilliant, and engrossing—they tell their own tale that your kids will love! Flashlight Press has turned another story into a must-read for every kid-lit fan!" —Sandie Lee, https://smartypantsmagazineforkids.com

P. R. Allabach is a small-business owner who served in the U.S. Army in Afghanistan. Dragon and Captain is his first picture book. He lives in Wilmington, North Carolina. Lucas Turnbloom is an award-winning cartoonist, graphic novelist, and art director, whose work has been featured by Andrews McMeel Universal, Darkhorse Comics, USA Today, Time.com, and more. His daily comic strip, Imagine THIS, is syndicated online by Universal/Uclick. He lives in Santee, California.