A dull visit to their Aunt’s house turns into a magical and thrilling adventure when Lizzy and her brother Ron venture into the nearby forest. An inviting path leads to a shrouded lake in the woods… Perfect for skipping stones, but who or what keeps throwing them back?
2022 Winner of the Silver Literary Titan Book Award! Read more Continue reading Read less REVIEW
“A brother and sister are stuck visiting their aunt’s house; while listening to the grown-ups talk, they grow antsy and bored. Finally, they are told to go play outside and eagerly run out the door. Heading into the nearby forest, they find a path leading to a spooky pond. They start skipping rocks, but the stones come flying back at them! Not only are rocks come back from the pond, but they are also hot and burn to the touch. So the two set off around the pond to investigate the cause of the mysterious rocks. What will they find lurking in the mist?
Dragon Stones by author Carolyn Watson Dubisch has written an excellent picture book illustrated in a whimsical comic book style. The characters are entertaining and relatable for young to preteen children. Ron and Lizzy are your typical children, and they eagerly set off on an adventure to cure the boredom of sitting around talking about lawns. The children’s curiosity is contagious, and readers will want to race around after them to find out how the rocks are returning to them and with a pattern on them as well.
I enjoyed the story’s direction; I just wanted more. I feel like Aunt Edwina could have presented so much more to the story and that the climactic moment was cut short. There is a lot of potential in this character, and I hope readers will get to see more of Aunt Edwina as I think she has a lot of mystery sounding her. Her ending comments will leave readers asking questions, and hopefully, there will be another children’s book to answer that question.
Dragon Stones is a magical children’s fantasy story that captivates young readers. The illustrations are bold and well done, the characters relatable, and the story is interesting. This is a great children’s book for a classroom library.”-Literary Titan ★★★★★
“Carolyn Watson Dubisch’s latest offering is a new fantasy/mystery picture book called, Dragon Stones. Carolyn is a prolific author and illustrator in recent years and frequently touches on fanciful tales. Her art style is a bit different in this book, but no less charming.
Dragon Stones begins with two bored children as many unusual stories often do. It’s told in the first person and our narrator is little Lizzy, who takes us on an adventure to a lake in the forest after she and her brother were expelled from their aunt’s house for being rambunctious.
The children begin skipping stones across the tranquil pond and the mystery begins when they come skipping back to shore right at them! The stones are hot and marked with a symbol and from here the children set off to solve this strange mystery.
On the far side of the lake in a smokey lair they discover the dragon. He too bears the mark. After an angry confrontation the children are rescued from his terrifying clutches by none other than their Aunt Edwina, (who is rendered as a tiny figure, as threatening as a bunny rabbit). Her presence terrifies the dragon who is literally chased off with his tail between his legs.
The book is extensively illustrated throughout and really brings the book to life. As an accomplished illustrator, Carolyn really pulled out all the stops on this one. There must be thirty illustrations in this slim book. Since it’s marketed to beginning readers as well as the picture book market I would say this is definitely a plus for any children learning to read as pictures make all books have dimension. Even when reading memoirs I jump to the photo section and study the images, so like every child I’ve ever met, I believe I am a pretty visually focused person.
I would venture to say, even as an adult, this book is a keeper. If you’re looking for a book to help your child be entertained and spark their imagination, you’ll find that and more in Dragon Stones.”-Canadian Reporter ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Carolyn Watson Dubisch is the award winning author and illustrator of 14 children’s books and 4 comic book series for kids. She lives by the sea in Mexico with her husband and daughter and a menagerie of pets. You can find her books in online booksellers and 2 of her comic series, The Dragon in The Closet and After The Robots Died are running as webcomics with weekly updates –This text refers to the paperback edition. Read more Continue reading Read less
