Dragonheart Movie Storybook

Leslie McGuire, a prolific children's author with over 200 titles to her name, adapts the Dragonheart film into a 32-page early reader that gets the job done. Full-color stills from the movie bring Sir Bowen and Draco to life on the page, and the hero-quest bones of the story — an unlikely alliance against a tyrannical king — are sturdy and satisfying even at picture-book length. The real strength is that the photography makes the fantasy world feel immediate. The caveat is real: this book only fully works if you love the film, and there isn't much standalone literary weight at 32 pages. Parents should note the original film was PG-13; the storybook softens the action, but a preview is wise for very young children.