Quentin Blake’s wonderfully airy and energetic illustrations perfectly match this quirky fantasy by that other master, Russell Hoban. A little boy called John accidentally finds a dragon beneath a manhole cover in a busy street. The passers-by take no notice of him, not even when he meets up with the dragon at an underground station. They have a couple of fights – as agreed – and when John wins, Ace takes him flying. When Ace runs out of petrol, the two are stranded on a moon before John works out a way to get back home, using another of Ace’s special skills. Funny and offbeat, it’s a lovely story of friendship and independence. ~ Andrea Reece
From renowned picture book creators Russell Hoban and Quentin Blake, the story of Ace Dragon LTD. - who isn't so limited after all.
When John notices a manhole cover with the words ACE DRAGON LTD. written across it, he can't help but investigate what lies beneath. And so begins an unusual friendship between a boy and a dragon named Ace, who wears two pairs of Wellington boots and loves skywriting with fire, flying stunts to the moon, and turning gold into straw. With so many talents, John wonders if, unlike his moniker, Ace really isn't so limited after all!
Russell Hoban was born in Pennsylvania, USA. His parents were Jewish immigrants from the Ukraine; his father was the advertising manager of a Jewish newspaper as well as a dram guild director. Russell was thus exposed to the arts early on, and became interested in writing at an early age, winning prizes for his stories and poems during his school years.
As an adult
Russell served in the US Infantry during WWII. For a time he taught art in New York and Connecticut. He then worked as a freelance illustrator and an advertising copywriter. He began publishing children's books in 1958, and since then has published more than fifty. His picture book The Sea-Thing Child, illustrated by Patrick Benson, was shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal. Russell passed away at the age of 86 in 2011.
