The Popcorn Dragon: A Classic Picture Book for Kids (Ages 4-8) About a Show-Off Who Discovers Friendship

You could hardly blame Dexter, ordinarily a well-behaved young dragon, for showing off when he suddenly found that he could make clouds of smoke. The temptation is irresistible, but Dexter quickly becomes insufferable. First he watches his own reflection in the river in order to admire the smoke. Then he puffs it in the faces of his friends: the zebra, the giraffe, and the elephant. He even blows smoke rings around his own tail to prove how clever he is.

Soon Dexter has no friends left. He is a very lonely dragon indeed, until quite by accident he discovers a way his talent can be used to win back his playmates.

This wonderful story -- first published in 1953 -- will delight both young readers and their parents, and so will Lisa McCue's appealing new pictures of this lovable show-off.

Jane Thayer was the pen name of Catherine Woolley. Ms. Woolley lived in Truro, Massachusetts, until her death in 2005.

Lisa McCue is the acclaimed illustrator of more than one hundred books for children, including Part-time Dog and The Puppy Who Wanted a Boy, by Jane Thayer, and Irving Berlin’s easter parade. She is also the designer and creator of Fuzzytail Greetings, her own line of greeting cards. Ms. McCue lives with her family in Annapolis, Maryland.