Genre 3: The Dragons Are Singing Tonight

The Dragons Are Singing Tonight by Jack Prelutsky, Illustrated by Peter Sis
Greenwillow Books, 1993
ISBN 0-688-09645-X

Summary:
Jack Prelutsky uses poetry to present a wide range of dragons and dragon lore. Imaginative poems include "I Made A Mechanical Dragon," "A Dragon Is in My Computer," and "My Dragon Wasn't Feeling Good." The collection even includes such disparate titles as "If You Don't Believe in Dragons" and "Once They All Believed in Dragons."

Critical Analysis:
This analysis may be somewhat biased because The Dragons Are Singing Tonight is a book near and dear to my heart. Why? It was a longtime favorite of my sons when they were young, and we spent many, many nights reading and rereading its poems. The title poem is still my favorite, partly due to the beautiful illustration of dozens of singing dragons and partly due to the idea of all the magical noise:

"Tonight is the night all the dragons
Awake in their lairs underground,
To sing in cacophonous chorus
And fill the whole world with their sound."

Lovers of traditional dragon tales will not be disappointed. Some of the poems give mention of knights, maidens, and dragon's treasure, although an element of surprise (such as a lazy dragon or a bored dragon) is usually included.
The bigger genius in this book is the imaginative way Prelutsky and Sis portray the dragons. One of the dragons is tiny with "a nasty, nasty temper," while another is cured of illness by ingesting "turpentine and phosphorous and gasoline." In "I Made a Mechanical Dragon," the narrator creates a junkyard dragon made from "thrown-away clocks and unmendable socks" and other castoff rubbish. In the accompanying illustration, children can find many of the listed building materials along with an unfortunate cat stranded in the washing machine Sis uses for the dragon's rump.
While the poems are a good read simply because they are written with fun rhythm, rhyme, and alliteration, they also introduce children to some advanced vocabulary. My children knew how to use the words "cacophonous" and "pillage" and "despicable" at a young age due to reading these poems repeatedly.
Perhaps the fact that my sons wanted to read this book so often is evidence enough that it contains great children's poetry.

Review Excerpts:

"It's tempting to quote nearly all the 17 poems in this excellent collection, but here's just a short one: 'If you don't believe in dragons, / it is curiously true / That the dragons you disparage / Choose to not believe in you.' . . . There's a 'just right' quality to the verse that makes it a pleasure to read the words aloud. Their sounds fit together with seamless craftsmanship, and their sense rewards listeners with humor, imagination, and occasional poignancy. More than a mirror for the verse, Sis' artwork extends the imagery with paintings of haunting beauty, subtlety, and strangeness. . . . Because it appeals on so many levels, this is one poetry book that won't sit on the shelf for long."

Carolyn Phelan
Booklist September 1 1993, v. 90

"These engaging, funny, and touching poems will delight readers with rhyme, rhythm, and wonderful words. Kudos for word choices such as 'malevolent,' 'disconsolate,' and 'obeisance,' which add texture and intelligence to fanciful vignettes of dragon life. In addition to poetic wizardry, much of this book's appeal must be credited to Peter Sis's inventive and evocative illustrations. Each covers a double page and will hold readers spellbound studying fine details."

Williams, Karen
The Christian Science Monitor (Eastern edition), October 7 1993

Connections:

Have a class create or collect poems about one certain type of animal. How many can you find? How much of a variety can you find? Which are your favorites?

Compare dragons in the poems to dragons in other stories. What do they compare and contrast?

Create a dragon kite based on "I Have a Dozen Dragons."

What would be some problems in keeping dragons as pets?

Compare dragon stories from different geographic areas such as Asia, South America, and Europe.