PreS-Gr 2 A boy and his dragon discover the true meaning of Christmas. In droll, matter-of-fact text, an unnamed hero explains all the ways that his pet dragon doesn't understand the spirit of Christmas (belied by the hysterically funny illustrations, which show the dragon making donations, singing carols, and helping strangers, while his oblivious human dreams of holiday gifts). The boy comes up with the perfect gift for dragon, but when he strikes out on the parental front for financial assistance, he realizes that he'd better find a way to earn some money. Fortunately, his pet dragon is there to help. They try out a number of jobs and are surprisingly successfulso much so that they have time to do a little free babysitting for Mrs. Jones, who has a large family. In the end, it turns out both boy and dragon had a very good understanding of the true meaning of Christmas, right from the start. VERDICT A terrific holiday read-aloud that imparts an important lesson in a funny and entertaining manner. Mara Alpert, Los Angeles Public Library