The Flying Dragon Room

The Flying Dragon Room, by Audrey Wood

The Flying Dragon Room was an interesting selection from the Audrey Wood collection, mainly because there was a different illustrator used for this one. Mark Teague is the illustrator, and his artwork and illustrations can be found in a number of books. The book itself is similar to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl, in that a little boy is given a special set of tools that he can build ANYTHING he wants with. The things he builds in his cellar in his backyard are those of his wildest dreams and imagination, like a Subterranean Room, Small Creature Garden, the Bubble Room, The Food Room, and even a Snake Slide! My favorite place that he created was the Jumping Room; the pictures are incredible and make me want to just join them in the fun that they are having. The story ends leaving the readers wondering what will happen next, as Mrs. Jenkins picks up her special toolbox and invites everyone to her house tomorrow to take a tour of the Flying Dragon Room...

The illustrations are unbelievable in this book, with bright and vibrant colors and details, however I did wonder what the pictures would have looked like in this story through the eyes of Mr. Don Wood. While Mr. Teague does have a unique technique to his illustrations, Don Wood's are certainly different too, and there is something about what he does to the characters in the stories that I just love and have clung to. I cannot seem to steer away from Don Wood being my favorite children's illustrator, and I don't know if this is true or not, but I have seemed to notice that when stories are illustrated by Don Wood, the books seem less complex because they do not take away from Don's amazing artistic talent, or Audrey's gift of storytelling, but instead balance each other out. Regardless, Mark Teague is a fantastic children's illustrator and I really would like to read some stories that he has illustrated for.