The Clockwork Dragon Paperback – 5 Feb. 2015

Love the detail in the pictures, you something new each time you read the book so it doesn’t get boring.

Very good.

The Clockwork Dragon is a really fun picture book featuring my favourite fantasy creature: a dragon! It's all about Max and Lizzie and how they rid their kingdom of an evil dragon called Flamethrottle - no easy feat, let me tell you. They have a great plan and even more cunning, which they use to outwit this most nasty of dragons. Flamethrottle doesn't know what's him him!I'm a big fan of picture book illustrations and these ones Elys Dolan are of the high standard I've come to expect. The dragons, both real and mechanical, look brilliant, and Max and Lizzle are a fantastic representation of the medieval time when this story is set. Each page is busy with artwork but it also has more text than in used to seeing in a picture book, making it easier for Jonathan Emmett to tell a full, finished story.The Clockwork Dragon is recommended for any budding knights or dragon hunters out there, especially ones with an eye for making things. Max and Lizzie are memorable, likeable characters who would make positive role models for any children, and I look forward to their next adventure. Let's hope that Flamethrottle the dragon really does leave them alone for a while!

My little one really enjoyed this story - she is advanced in reading for her age (6), and this was at exactly the right level. I liked the fact that the story had a hidden message, about teamwork :-)

Fantastic book. Why didn't they have books like this when I was a kid? My 4 year old son (who, like most is into knights, dragons, dinosaurs and all things mechanical) absolutely loves it. It's well written, nicely illustrated, and it has both prominent boy and girl characters, so great for sons and daughters. Age ranges 3-6 is probably about right, but I enjoyed reading it myself!

A charming picture book with a story that appealed hugely to my 2 1/2 year old boy, who loves the 'How to Train Your Dragon' film. Though the book is recommended for 3 years plus, I found my little chap able to focus on and enjoy the story without getting bored.It's a great fun book to read aloud and I thoroughly enjoyed doing so, especially as the tale involves a scary and real dragon being chased off by a bigger, clockwork one driven by the child protagonists. The illustrations by Elys Dolan are good; bright and detailed with lots of things to get your child to spot and point out as you read which is something we enjoy doing.The book has had a few outings since it has arrived at our household and whilst it looks unlikely to usurp The Gruffalo, Underpants Thunderpants, Green Eggs and Ham and Where The Wild Things Are as my son's main favourites, I can still see us returning to face Flamethrottle on a reasonably regular basis for some time to come.

This is a fairly lively tale, perhaps better suited to boys rather than girls (suggest 5-7 years old). It's the story of how a cobbled-together mechanical clock work dragon defeats a fearsome foe - Flamethrottle, a real dragon! It is certainly a good tale to read aloud and it moves along at a fair pace. The illustrations are very good - check out the illustrator's other work, especially the wonderful "Weasels" (5*). Once read, more interest can be garnered by looking at the pictures and seeing what's happening in some very busy scenes. I did like the book but it wouldn't be a title I'd return to hence the 3*.

My son is obsessed with dinosaurs and dragons and anything that roars and he has absolutely loved this book and has asked for many repeat readings so far. The illustrations are beautifully done and the story is brilliant. The story tells of a little boy and girl who build a clockwork dragon to scare off the local real dragon Flamethrottle and who with a little bit of imagination and trickery manage to succeed and chase the real dragon away.My son was pretty much "roaring" all of the way through and thought it was very funny when the real dragon was tricked. A lovely and beautifully written and illustrated soft back large childrens book and it looks set to become another bedtime favourite.