It’s a familiar scenario: hungry dragon seeks princess for dinner. But with no princesses available, the villagers draw names from a hat and choose Oscar as alternative dragon fodder. Oscar’s thin frame is a disappointment to the ravenous beast, but he’s open to the idea of fattening the child up. From his cage, Oscar submits shopping lists and orders a professional stove. His first meal includes “grilled eggplant for starters, then pasta and homemade ice cream.” The aroma is delicious, but the dragon refuses Oscar’s offer to share. Days pass, and Oscar produces gourmet meals, but the dragon continues to turn up his nose at human food. Nearsighted, the dragon can’t see Oscar putting on weight, and falls for the cooking-spoon-handle-as-finger ploy. At last his hunger is too much to bear, and the dragon samples Oscar’s cuisine, to his great delight. When new eyeglasses alert him to the fact that he’s been duped, the thought of the loss of Oscar’s culinary prowess saves the day. This clever twist on a classic theme offers a quick-witted and creative hero, while humorous illustrations amp up the story’s impact. (Ages 4–8)

It was time to feed the dragon a princess. But since no princess was available, the next best thing was to give him a child. All the children wrote their names on pieces of paper and put them in a hat. Then a name was pulled from the hat: Oscar! Oscar’s mom wept bitterly—what mother wouldn’t? But she should have known Oscar was far too clever to get eaten by an old dragon!