The Woodland Folk in Dragonland
The Woodland Folk series
Tony Wolf
Rand McNally
Fiction, CH Fantasy/Picture Book
Themes: Anthropomorphism, Dragons, Faeries and Kin, Fairy Tales, Fantasy Races
***+
Description
For centuries, the primitive villagers of Dragonland, where the Dragosaurs rule, had no idea that, just beyond the high mountains surrounding their home, lay the green world of the woodland gnomes. Then the evil gnome Franz kidnapped the hapless Dragonsir for vengeance against his own people. Thus two worlds collide in a conflict that may lead to all-out war.
Review
An older picture book, I unearthed it during reorganization efforts. The illustrations brim with imagination, full of fun little details that create a whole, if distinctly blunt-edged and cartoonish, world. The story itself feels very old-fashioned, however, with simple stereotype-based characters acting out a plot in which nobody really gets hurt (even if naughty little dragonlings get spanked by their mother - but their skin's tough, so the audience is reassured that it's not so bad.) The bad gnome even has an over-the-top German accent, and stereotypes can't help but glare in modern light. Still, the pictures are fun, and it brought back some nice memories, even if it doesn't hold up particularly well for adult readers.