Bedwin Author:Michael Bedwin is a picture book about a shy dragon who is trying to find a way to fit in. He likes other creatures and refuses to frighten them with his fire-breathing abilities, causing him to be shunned by other dragons. The creatures in the nearby village run from the very sight of him, never giving him a chance to make friends. Bedwin’s scary appea... more »rance dooms him to the fate of a hopeless outcast. So he lives in seclusion, in a cave by the sea, dreaming of an existence where he could belong. One day, he overhears two funny-looking creatures arguing. They are Greeples, some forest dwelling beings that have managed to keep hidden from society. So enraged are they at one another, that they do not see Bedwin in time to run from him. Once they get over the initial, and comical, reaction to their introduction of surprise, Bedwin helps them to compromise by telling them of his own lonely plight. All three realize the folly of their differences. They climb onto Bedwin’s back and embark on a magical ride through the clouds and over the trees. Told in musical rhyme, it lends itself to easy memorization for early readers, and teaches the lesson of acceptance. It teaches skills crucial to the changing world in which today’s children now live. The characters encountered are Oz-like in the originality and whimsy of this endearing dragon and his lands of fantasy. The targeted age group will be hungry for every page in this Bedwin book as he flies into their hearts and imaginations.« less