A Tale of Two Dragons

K-Gr 3–People of various skin tones in old-fashioned dress are separated by the high thorn hedge between their two kingdoms, Arbor and Pomosa. Arbor has all of the trees (and thus firewood), while Pomosa has all the wheat and dairy cows. Hearing their parents’ wishes for what lies on the other side of the hedge, children sneak across and steal what they need; to put an end to the thefts, each king sends to China for a dragon to guard his country. The dragons come—one male, one female—but they have their own agenda, and when they fight, people on both sides realize their folly. The wise but exhausted dragons are attended to and the kings are sent packing. Told and illustrated in traditional European fairy-tale style, the moral of the story is didactically laid out: Fighting is wrong, sharing is good.