When a Dragon Moves In

Overview

On a beautiful day at the beach, a young boy brings his bucket, shovel, and imagination, and builds a perfect sand castle. Right away, a dragon moves in. The boy decides to befriend his dragon and they spend time roaming the shore, flying a kite, braving the waves, defying bullies, and roasting marshmallows—all while Dad is busy sunbathing and Mom is engrossed in her book. Unfortunately, no one believes the boy when he tries to share the news of this magnificent creature. That’s when the mischief begins, and the dragon becomes a force to be reckoned with. While adults will recognize the naughty antics as a ploy for attention, children will dissolve into giggles as the dragon devours every last sandwich, blows bubbles in the lemonade, and leaves claw prints in the brownies. Maybe the dragon really is running amok on the beach, or maybe it’s a little boy’s imagination that is running wild.

Reviews

"Masterfully lit fish-eyed views, fur, fangs, claws and interesting perspectives make seven monsters just scary enough.... Stunningly gorgeous...." Mark and Andrea, Just One More Book.com podcast.

"Moore has a light, sure touch, and she gives McWilliam (I Need My Monster) plenty of room to exercise his considerable gifts for operatic expressiveness and expertly choreographed physical humor." —Publishers Weekly (March 14, 2011)

"This delightful picture book is the perfect summer read or for those winter days when you’re dreaming of warmer weather. The endearing tale about friendship, humor, and the power of the imagination will transport you to the sunny, hot seaside, and leave you laughing and delightfully charmed."—The Picture Book Pages blog
 

"This book is an absolute hoot! The storyline is appealing — especially to kids ... It’s a book that a grandparent — or parent — will not tire of reading over, and over, and over to kids ... I can’t recommend it enough!"—Nina Lewis, Grandma Ideas blog

"We love, love, love this one! When we read aloud to students, they were so engaged and laughed so much. It was one of the top picks to 're-read' at the end of the year!"
—Mrs.MakesReadingFun
 

"The delightfully humorous fantasy introduces the enthusiastic sand architect and the happy, fire-belching dragon on the jacket. . . . The cartoony scenes contrast the usual activities of the family with the imaginary but plausible behavior of the playful dragon." —Children's Literature (May 8, 2011) 

 "Dramatic in perspective, McWilliam's exaggerated, digitally colored art renders the monsters in a spectrum of neon hues and outlandish shapes." —Publishers Weekly on I Need My Monster

"This sequel is SO much fun! Any kid who has had a younger sibling will find this one so funny!!! (And truly, all kids find it funny!) … The bright, colorful, animated illustrations really bring this story to life!"—Mrs.MakesReadingFun

Author Biography

Jodi Moore was chief contributing editor of The Promo Network, a worldwide information resource to the hospitality and broadcast industries, and her articles have appeared in many local magazines. While she and her husband run a mobile disc-jockey service specializing in private and corporate functions, and love building sandcastles, her first love is writing. This is Jodi's first picture book. She lives in Boalsburg, Pennsylvania. Howard McWilliam is the illustrator of the critically acclaimed I Need My Monster. He was chosen as National Young Cartoonist of the Year at the age of 12. A regular cover artist for the Week magazine, he also illustrates for the Sunday Telegraph, Moneyweek, and Outdoor Life. Other clients include PC Pro and Mac User magazines, and Nintendo. He was the Cartoon Art Trust's Cartoonist of the year in 2009. Since I Need My Monster, he has since illustrated six books in the Ghost Detectors series and six books in the Calico Illustrated Classics series (both published by Magic Wagon), six covers in the Alfie the Werewolf series (Hodder, a Hachette UK company), and four covers in the Kit Salter adventures (Quercus Books).