Marsha's Reviews > Seven Little Sons of the Dragon: A Collection of Seven Stories

These tales range from the whimsical (an old man uses a poor imitation of one of his famous paintings to conjure a paper man) to the sinister (a woman tricks a desperate royal in order to gain revenge). But, in the midst of the fantastical elements, they all involve human feelings and valuable lessons.

The fantastical aspects are part of nature not separate from it. Even as valuable natural resources get demolished, humans can restore order through simple effort and kindness. Cheering crowds practically weep as a baby dragon takes flight. A young girl saves a small fish god when its river is destroyed by construction workers. A vengeful woman who’s lost her child finds a surrogate in an imprinting baby dragon.

If some of this sounds too cute for words, they aren’t. There’s enough pathos to skirt silliness and twee charm. These are stories for children as well as adults but they’re far from childish.