Joan and Adrian Raeside
Joan and Adrian Raeside, mother and son, share their creative storytelling skills in the series of books based on Dennis the Dragon. Originally written and illustrated for children, the lessons these books provide are as much for adults as they are for children of all ages. What a wonderful way to communicate the scope of conflict and the possibility of arriving at a resolution!
The following is a short history of Dennis the Dragon. Following Dennis are just a few of Adrian Raeside's editorial cartoons, which deal with many social and environmental conflicts.
DENNIS the DRAGON The continuing adventures in the popular Dennis the Dragon series, further expanding the themes of environmental and social responsibility in delightfully whimsical ways.
Each book begins with a situation or problem, usually created by Dennis’ irresponsible dragon family. Dennis must track down the source of the problem, then find a solution to it. Young readers will eagerly anticipate each new adventure to see how badly Dennis’ dragon family mess things up and the unique ways Dennis comes up with to put things right. Part of the humor in the series is the quirky co-existence between Dennis’ careless dragon family and the long-suffering residents of Dragonville.
The positive message running through all the Dennis books is that every problem has a solution and each of us has the power to solve it and make the world a better place.
Created by veteran editorial cartoonist Adrian Raeside, the upbeat determination of Dennis the smokeless dragon will continue to delight and inspire young readers and adults alike.
The Dennis the Dragon book series is based on a character created by Adrian’s mother, Joan Raeside, in 1964. Adrian grew up in New Zealand, at a time when children’s books were scarce and expensive, so Adrian’s mother wrote her own children’s books. A few of them, including Dennis the Dragon, were privately published as limited editions on the family’s letterpress in their basement. Adrian went on to a successful career as a syndicated cartoonist and published author, but his mother passed away before Adrian re-illustrated and published the original Dennis book in 1994. Dennis the Dragon was met with wide acclaim from children and adults alike and the success of the first Dennis book inspired Adrian to write and illustrate two other Dennis titles which were published as: Dennis and the big Cleanup and Dennis and the Fantastic Forest.
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