by Jay Williams, illustrated by Mercer Mayer. Four Winds Press, 1976.
There are no unsung heroes like the authors of picture books. Yeah, yeah, I know that there have been efforts in recent years to honor the work of people who can do the much-harder-than-it-looks 32-page story , but let’s face it: in our world, it’s the people who make the pretty pictures that usually get the glory. So whenever I run across an accomplished picture book author who never quite made it big-time, I always like to make an effort to show off their books a bit.
Jay Williams is one of those authors. He authored a dozen or so picture books in the ’60s and ’70s, and not one of them won any major awards, so nearly all of them are out of print. But if you have the time to scour library and used bookstore shelves for Williams’ books, you’re going to be rewarded with little gems that you find yourself turning to again and again.
Take, for example, the forgotten book Everyone Knows What a Dragon Looks Like. It’s a “literary folktale” — a story that has all the earthy trappings of a folktale without actually coming from, ah, Folk. Set in Wu, an imaginary village in the mountains of Asia, it concerns Han the peasant boy, whose job it is to greet visitors to the city. When Wu is under threat of invasion by wild horsemen, its citizens pray for help from the Great Cloud Dragon. Answering these pleas comes a small, bearded, fat old man who claims that the dragon is himself. “You don’t look like one,” replies Han. “How do you know?” replies the old man. “Have you ever seen one?” When the Mandarin and his advisers reject this logic, it is only the kindness and humility of Han that allows the old man to save Wu from invasion.
It may seem like a familiar story, but what makes it special is Williams’ luscious words and characters. Han isn’t just your regular poor-but-cheerful peasant, but “everyone who went in or out of the city had a merry word from him, for that was all he had to give.” A dragon is described as “rich and splendid . . . as comfortable as a pocketful of money.” Best of all, the dialogue between the city Mandarin and his staff begs to be read aloud — it’s a bout of bickering that is beyond chuckle-worthy. You’ll be guessing the end of the story before it’s halfway done, but like all good journeys, it’s the getting there that’s the most fun. I’ve read few picture books that end as gracefully and satisfyingly as this one.
Although I really want to highlight William’s work in this review, it really wouldn’t be fair to finish without lavishing praise on Mercer Mayer’s gorgeous watercolor-and-ink illustrations. Mayer is probably best known for his “Little Critter” series of picture books and for his work for John Fitzgerald’s Great Brain series. His work here is brimming with rich detail — Mayer is a master at drawing knobby faces and pudgy cheeks, coaxing out the comic natures of the characters without making them look too silly. The backgrounds spill over with jewels, tiles, flowered carpets and knickknacks, and it’s wonderful to just sit and gaze at the pictures for long periods of time, looking for details you missed before.
Williams was writing “fractured” fairy tales long before it was fashionable to do so; his other books include Petronella and The Practical Princess, both of which turn up occasionally in folktale anthologies. If you’ve gone so far as to find these books, I’d also recommend The Silver Whistle and Stupid Marco. All of them are delightful trips into whimsy — a fairy tale world that is comfortingly familiar, but unpredictable enough to keep you on your toes.
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[…] Everyone Knows What a Dragon Looks Like by Jay Williams (rev. 10/23/07) […]
I enjoyed this book as a child – one of my favorites. The story is awesome. I love the little man leaning on his stick.
I could high recommend it. I recently enjoyed it with my boyfriend; he liked it, too!!
nice books!!!
i love it!!!!
one of my faves is everyone knows what a dragon looks like…
i have juz recently listened to it…
in our class….
^^
this book is great i really love it!!!
the story is so fun to read again and again!!!
^^
Everyone Knows What a Dragon Looks Like
The CITY OF Wu was perched on a hill between two mountains. On one side of it were the great plains of the north where the wild horsemen lived. On the other side was the land of China.
A lad named Han was the gate-sweeper of the city. H had no mother or father and he was very poor. He lived in a tiny hut next to the gate. For this, he was given one bowl of rice and one cup of wine every day, and that was all he had. But he was cheerful, kind hearted and friendly, and when he swept the road he whistled. Everyone who went in and out of the city had a merry word for him, for that was all he had.
One day, a messenger came racing along the road from the north. He said to Han,” Take me to the ruler of the city.”
Han led him to the palace of the Mandarin, the great lord whose name was Jade Tiger.
The messenger cried, “Beware! The wild horsemen of the north are coming, a great army of them. They mean to destroy the city of Wu and bring war into the land of China.”
The Mandarin stroked his beard. Then he called together his councillors. They were the leader of the merchants, the Captain of the Army, the Wisest of the Wise Men, and the Chief of the Workmen.
“What shall we do?” asked the Mandarin. “There are four things we can do.” Answered the Wise Man. “First, we can fight.”
“Our Army is small,” said the captain. “They know how to shout loudly, how to make threatening leaps, and how to wave their swords in the bravest possible way. But they don’t know much about fighting.”
“Well, then, secondly, we can run away from the city,” said the Wise Man.
“If we run into the land of China, the Emperor will cut off our heads,” said the leader of the merchants.
“Thirdly,” said the Wise Man, “We can surrender.”
“If we surrender, the wild horsemen will cut off our heads,” remarked the chief workman.
“What is the fourth thing?” asked the Mandarin.
The Wise Men shrugged. “We can pray to the great cloud Dragon to help us.”
“That seems most practical,” said the Mandarin.
O the gongs were beaten, and the smoke of sweet incense rose up while everyone in the city prayed.
The next morning, as Han was sweeping the road under the gate, a small, fat man came walking up the hill. He had a long white beard and a shiny bald head, and he leaned on a long staff.
“Good morning.” He said.
Han bowed. “I hope your honourable stomach is happy, sir,” he replied, politely.
“Will you take me to the ruler of the city?” said the little fat man. “Ill take you to him,” said Han, “but he is very busy this morning. We are expecting the enemy, and the Mandarin is praying to the Great Cloud Dragon.”
“I know,” said the little man. “I am a Dragon.”
Han opened his eyes very wide. “You don’t look like one,” he said.
“How do you know?” asked the little man. “Have you ever seen one?”
“No,” said Han. “Now that you mention it, I haven’t.”
“Well, then –?”
“Well, then,” said Han, “please come this way, Honourable Dragon.” He led the little fat man to the palace. There sat the Mandarin with his councillors. They had just finished a huge bowl of rice and six dozen duck eggs for breakfast and they were drinking their tea.
The Mandarin looked at the little fat man with a frown. “Who is this person and why have you brought him here?” he asked Han.
“Sir,” said Han, “he is a dragon.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” said the Mandarin. He’s a fat man who is tracking dirt on my fine carpets. What do you want here, old man?”
“I have come to help you,” said the little fat man. “But if you want a dragon to help you, you must treat him with courtesy. I have come a long, weary way. Give me something to eat and something to drink and speak to me politely, and I will save the city.”
“Now, look here,” said the Mandarin. “Everybody knows what a dragon looks like. They are proud lords of the sky. They wear gold and purple silk. They look like Mandarins.”
“How do you know?” asked the little man. “Have you ever seen one?”
“Certainly not,” said the Mandarin. “But everyone knows what they look like. Isn’t that true, Captain?”
The Captain of the Army sat up straight, brushing grains of rice from his uniform.
“Not at all,” Said he. “Everyone knows that dragons are fierce and brave, like warriors. The sight of them is like the sound of trumpets. They look like Captains of the army.”
“Nonsense!” interrupted the leader of the Merchants. “Dragons are rich and splendid. They are as comfortable as a pocketful of money. They look like merchants. Everyone knows that.”
The Chief of the Workmen put in, “you are wrong. Everyone knows that dragons are strong and tough. Nothing is too hard for them to do. They look like workmen.”
The Wisest of the Wise Men pushed his glasses up on his forehead. “The one thing that is known—and indeed I can show it to you in forty-seven books- is that dragons are the wisest of all creatures,” he said. “Therefore, they must look like wise men.”
At that moment, they heard screams and yells from outside. A messenger came running into the palace.
“My lords,” he shouted, “the enemy s coming! The Wild Horsemen are riding across the plain towards the city gates. What shall we do?”
Everyone rushed out to the gates to look. Far away, but coming closer every second, was the dark mass of horsemen. Dust rose from their horses’ hoofs and their swords and spears twinkled in the sunlight.
The little fat man stood quietly leaning on his staff. “If you will treat me with courtesy,” he said, “I will save the city. Give me something to eat and something to drink and speak to me with politely. That is the only way to get a dragon to help you.”
“Piffle and poffle!” cried the Mandarin.” You are not a dragon! Everyone can see that you are only a dusty old wanderer. We have no time to give you free meals or to talk politely. Get out of the way.” And he ran home to the palace and crawled under the bed where he lay shivering.
“My gallant army,” commanded the Captain, “Follow me!” He turned and ran to the barracks and all his soldiers followed him. They all hid under their beds and lay there shaking.
The Merchant, the Wise Man, and the Chief of the Workmen fled to their own houses and all the people hurried after them.
In a few minutes, the streets were empty except for Han and the little fat old man.
“Well,” said Han “I don’t think we have much time. The enemy will be here soon. I don’t know whether you are a dragon or not, but if you are hungry and thirsty, please do me the honour of coming into my humble house.”
With a low bow he showed the old man the way into his tiny hut, there he gave him the bowl of rice and cup of wine which were all he had.
The old man ate and drank. Then he stood up.
“I don’t think much of the people of Wu,” he said “but for your sake I will save the city.”
He went out to the gate. The Wild Horsemen were very close. They wore fur caps and skins of tigers. They shot arrows at the city as they rode hard on their shaggy horses.
The little fat man puffed out his cheeks. He blew a long breath. The sky grew dark and lightening sizzled from the clouds to the earth. A great wind arose. It caught the Wild Horsemen and blew them far and wide. Those who escaped turned and galloped madly away through the storm.
The sky cleared. The sun shone again. The plain was empty. The little fat man said, “Now I will show you what a dragon looks like.”
He sprang up into the air and his form changed. He grew taller than the tallest tree, taller than the tallest tower. He was the colour of sunset shining through rain. Scales covered him, scattering light. His claws and teeth glittered like diamonds. His eyes were noble like those of a proud horse. He was more beautiful and more frightening than anything Han had ever seen.
He flew high, roaring, and vanished into the deep sky. Han gave a long sigh and went to tell the Mandarin what had happened.
The people of the city crowded around to hear the tale. They could see for themselves that the enemy had vanished. They cheered Han, pinned medals on him, gave him many gold pieces, and from that day on called him “The Honourable Defender of the City.”
“But best of all,” said the Mandarin, “We know what a dragon looks like. He looks like a small, fat, bald old man.”
I am an elementary school teacher who enjoys reading this gem (Everyone Knows What a Dragon Looks Like) to each new class I have. It is, to my mind, a superior example of the elements of folktale (even though it isn’t technically a folk tale) and also of superb illustration, which appeals to the most artful mind. I lament that it is no longer in print, but am thankful that I bought it for my sons and they were able to enjoy it time and again.