Library Intern Book Reviews
Publisher
Roaring Brook Press
City
New York, New York, United States of America
Date of Publication
2017
ISBN
9781626720923
Date of Review
2019
Disciplines
Library and Information Science | Modern Literature
Keywords
Children's literature, reviews
Recommended Citation
Kloosterman, Erin E., "Review of John Ronald's Dragons : The Story of J.R.R. Tolkien by Caroline McAlister" (2019). Library Intern Book Reviews. 229.
https://digitalcommons.cedarville.edu/intern_book_reviews/229
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Review
John Ronald loved stories, strange words, and above all, dragons. Unfortunately, while attending school or while making up pretend languages with his cousin, Mary, John Ronald could only tell stories about dragons, not actually meet them. After his mother died, John Ronald dealt with an angry mean aunt, but still didn’t see any dragons. He lost his connection to dragons for a while after falling in love, fighting in a terrible war, and starting his career as a teacher. One day, John Robert began to write a story about a creature named a hobbit, and it was through this hobbit’s adventurous tale that John Robert was finally able to meet the dragon that he always dreamed about. This story is a very simple account of J.R.R. Tolkien’s life, but the simple language makes the story very approachable to children. The full-page, colorful illustrations are arresting and beautiful and add depth to the simple language. This book would be a welcome addition to any biography unit, and the notes and bibliography in the back could provide an interesting introduction to research for elementary school children. Recommended. Erin Kloosterman, Centennial Library Intern, Cedarville University