Author: Margaret Hodges
Illustrator: Trina Schart Hyman
Publisher: Little, Brown, and Company
Publication Year: 1984
Location: Knox County Public Library- Lawson McGhee
Awards: Caldecott, Booklist starred review
Summary: This is a retelling of the class story from Spencer's The Faerie Queen. In this story, George, the Red Cross Dragon, kills the dragon that has been attacking the countryside for years and bring peace to the land. But the real star here is the amazing illustrations by Hyman. She frames all of her drawings and the text so that the book looks like beautiful stained glass windows.
Classroom Ideas: This book is full of excellent vocabulary (foe, veiled, hermit, hideous) and beautiful imagery ("her shoulder were covered with a black cloak as if she had a hidden sorrow in her heart.") There is plenty of figurative language as well.
